FAA Grounded Boeing 737-9 Max after window blows out mid-air

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have issued AD to temporarily ground some Boeing 737 Max aircraft after a section of fuselage of an Alaska Airlines jet blew out in mid-air.

The emergency Adminitrative Directive (AD) from the US Federal Aviation Administration will affect about 171 aircraft worldwide. Airlines who are operating with these aircraft will need to immediately inspect their aircraft before further flight. The time to comply with this AD will take four to eight hours per Aircraft.

The move is a big blow to Boeing aircraft company, which has struggled with manufacturing defects on the 737 Max aircraft. It's still dealing with the aftermath of authorities' 20-month global grounding following two fatal crashes that happened five months apart.

“Safety is our top priority,” Boeing Aircraft Company said in a statement. The representative of Boeing said that “We agree with and fully support the FAA’s decision to require immediate inspections of Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft with the same configuration as the affected aircraft.”

The FAA has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive and is now available at https://t.co/OB0psE1AFc
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 6, 2024

Alaska airlines have grounded 65 737-9 Max aircraft in its own fleet after the incident on a Friday night flight from Portland, Oregon, to California.

The 737-9 Max aircraft, which was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, lost a portion of a side wall, a window was missing, and oxygen masks were deployed.

Flight 1282 and our next steps with the Boeing MAX-9: https://t.co/LFxJvQYNcA pic.twitter.com/oemRokr1tz
— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) January 6, 2024