27 Jan 2024 | 12:14 PM UTC
US: Airlines gradually return inspected 737 MAX 9 aircraft to service as of Jan. 27 /update 1
US airlines gradually return inspected 737 MAX 9 aircraft to service as of Jan. 27. Lingering flight disruptions possible.
US airlines are gradually returning Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to commercial service as of Jan. 27, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted the grounding order for the aircraft that have undergone the required safety inspections. Alaska Airlines (AS) resumed the service of inspected Boeing 737 MAX 9 flights on Jan. 26 and United Airlines (UA) will begin returning its fleet to service from Jan. 27.
The FAA had ordered the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft on Jan. 6, a day after Alaska Airlines (AS) Boeing 737 MAX 9 Flight 1282 was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, after a door plug on the plane's fuselage blew out mid-flight resulting in a rapid decompression of the cabin. Hundreds of flights had been canceled in early January.
