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As of today (26 January), Alaska Airlines intends to resume using its Boeing 737 Max 9 planes.
On January 25th, the airline announced that it is currently conducting thorough examinations of its aircraft. They anticipate re-introducing a few planes into regular commercial operation on Friday, January 26th.
The recent update comes after the FAA declared that the aircraft would be cleared to resume flights once it successfully passes a revised inspection procedure. The Boeing 737 Max 9s were prohibited from flying since January 6th, when an Alaska Airlines plane experienced a door plug malfunction during a flight on January 5th.
The statement from Alaska Airlines stated that all of their planes will only resume operation after thorough inspections are conducted and deemed safe according to FAA standards.
Our fleet currently consists of 65 737-9 MAX aircraft. It is estimated that each plane will require a 12-hour inspection.
“As of Friday, our initial 737-9 MAX will be back in operation and we will gradually reintroduce additional planes into service as they pass inspections and are deemed safe to fly. We anticipate that all of our 737-9 MAX aircraft will undergo inspections within the next week.”
The statement continues by outlining the steps of the inspection, which involve checking that the mid-cabin door plugs are installed correctly, examining for any damage or irregularities in the door and seal components, and securing each door plug again.
On the same day, United Airlines, a large operator of 737 Max 9 planes, announced that it plans to resume using the aircraft on January 28th.
Source: independent.co.uk
