The American airline Alaska Airlines confirmed, Friday January 26, the resumption of flights of its Boeing 737 MAX 9, suspended after an incident on one of its planes on January 5, for a connection between Seattle and San Diego.
According to a message posted on its website, the company communicated that flight 1,146, scheduled for Friday, January 26, in the afternoon, would launch the gradual return to service of its fleet of 65 737 MAX 9 aircraft. at 2:40 p.m. from Seattle (11:40 p.m. in Paris), in Washington state, to land in San Diego, California, at 5:05 p.m. (2:05 a.m. in Paris).
Ben Minicucci, boss of Alaska Airlines, clarified Thursday, during an audio conference with analysts devoted to 2023 results, that he anticipated a resumption of these flights from Friday. The return to operation of the fleet should last until the beginning of February.
On January 5, a door stopper in the cabin of one of its Boeing 737 MAX 9s flying from Portland (Oregon) to Ontario (California) came loose in flight. Airlines have the possibility of blocking a door when the number of existing emergency exits is sufficient in relation to the number of seats on the aircraft. This modification has been made on 171 of the 218 Boeing 737 MAX 9s delivered to date.
The inspection should be completed “by the end of next week”
In the process, the American aviation regulatory agency (FAA) suspended the aircraft thus configured from flying until further notice. The regulator announced Wednesday evening that it had established a ” vast “ maintenance and inspection program to allow these planes to return to the air. Only once the established plan is completed “that the plane will be able to return to service”said the FAA, without giving a date.
Alaska Airlines said Friday that the inspection of its fleet – up to a dozen hours per aircraft – should be completed “by the end of next week”. “This will allow us to operate our flight program in full”noted the company, which estimates that 3,000 flights will have been canceled in January due to the suspension, for financial consequences estimated at 150 million dollars (138 million euros).
The American company United Airlines, which has the largest fleet of these reconfigured models (79 aircraft), announced Thursday that the first flight of one of its aircraft was scheduled for Sunday, while not ruling out a return to service. sooner if necessary.
The US Transportation Safety Agency, responsible for determining the circumstances of the January 5 incident, told Agence France-Presse on Friday that one of its investigators was expected to return to the Boeing factory that same day. in Renton, Washington. The investigative team will “establish a timeline from the first stages of production of the cap door to the in-flight accident”said the agency, adding that they will also review the documentation attached to the plane (production and maintenance).