The American airline Alaska Airlines has estimated that the flight suspension of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9s in the United States, following an incident that occurred in early January on one of its planes, will have a negative impact of 150 million dollars in his accounts.
A “vast” maintenance program has been established
According to a document published Thursday on the website of the American Stock Exchange Police (SEC), the company plans a “gradual return” of its fleet to the air from Friday, and until the beginning of February. Due to this suspension and probable delays in the delivery of new aircraft by the American manufacturer, Alaska Airlines has warned that its 2024 results should be at the lower end of the range of previously communicated forecasts.
The American civil aviation regulatory agency, the FAA, announced Wednesday evening that it had established a “vast” maintenance and inspection program to allow these planes to resume flights. On January 5, a cabin door of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 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.
12 hours required to conduct inspections on each device
This modification has been made on 171 of the 218 Boeing 737 MAX 9s delivered to date. In the process, the FAA suspended the aircraft configured in this way from flight until further notice. The regulator detailed on Wednesday evening a four-point program including in particular the verification of specific fixings as well as visual inspections of all cap holders and their components, and the repair of any damage or abnormal condition. It is only once the established plan is completed, “that the plane will be able to return to service,” he said, without giving a date.
Alaska Airlines, which owns 65 Boeing 737 MAX 9s, said up to a dozen hours per aircraft were needed to carry out these inspections. Shortly after the FAA’s announcement Wednesday evening, the operational director of United Airlines – which has the largest fleet of this model (79 aircraft) – Toby Enqvist sent a message to company staff for inform of the FAA’s decision.
“We will only return each MAX 9 aircraft to service once the thorough inspection process is completed,” he assured. “We are preparing to resume aircraft service from Sunday,” he said.