Factbox: What airlines, regulators are doing about Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets

Copa Holdings

15/01/2024 13:32

(Adds latest from the FAA, China, Alaska Airlines and United
Airlines)
       Jan 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. aviation regulator on Friday
extended the grounding of Boeing's  BA.N  top-selling 737 MAX 9
airplanes indefinitely for new safety checks after a panel blew
off an Alaska Airlines  ALK.N , forcing pilots to make an
emergency landing on Jan. 5.
    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said 40 jets must
be reinspected before it will consider putting the 171 grounded
aircraft with the same panel back in service.
    Here is what regulators and airlines are doing as a result
of the latest incident:

    AIRLINES WITH THE AFFECTED PANEL:

    ALASKA AIRLINES 
    The airline grounded all 65 of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes
and has cancelled hundreds of flights since the incident, with
cancellations set to continue at least through Tuesday. 
    It said on Jan. 8 that initial reports from its technicians
indicated some "loose hardware" was visible on some aircraft in
the relevant area.

    UNITED AIRLINES  UAL.O 
    The only other U.S. airline operating the jets has suspended
service on all 79 of its 737 MAX 9 aircraft. It has cancelled
flights through Tuesday, and some additional flights in the
following days.
    The carrier said on Jan. 8 its preliminary checks found
bolts that needed tightening on several panels. It was awaiting
final approval for full inspection processes of the grounded
aircraft.

    COPA AIRLINES
    The Panamanian carrier said on Jan. 9 that 21 Boeing 737 MAX
9 planes remained grounded while authorities and the
manufacturer defined inspection instructions.

    AEROMEXICO
    The airline said on Jan. 12 that the 19 Boeing 737 MAX 9
jets in its fleet remained grounded awaiting inspection.
    Aeromexico added it had launched a flexible flight-change
policy for affected travellers, but did not specify how many
flights had been cancelled. 

    TURKISH AIRLINES
    The airline said on Jan. 7 it had withdrawn five 737 MAX 9
aircraft from service for inspection. 

    AIRLINES THAT LACK THE AFFECTED PANEL:

    ICELANDAIR
    Icelandair said the issue is related to equipment that's not
a part of the configuration of its four 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

    FLYDUBAI
    The airline said its three 737 MAX 9 planes, which use a
deactivated mid-aft exit door configuration, were not affected.

    CORENDON DUTCH AIRLINES
    Corendon Dutch said it has two 737 MAX 9, but the airline
uses the extra door, so inspections are not needed.

    AIR TANZANIA
    Air Tanzania has one 737 MAX 9, but its CEO said Boeing had
told the airline its aircraft was not of the type that needed
inspection.

    REGULATORS:

    U.S. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA)
    The FAA has launched a formal investigation into the MAX 9,
and said on Jan. 12 it will intensify oversight of Boeing.
    The agency's chief Mike Whitaker said the Alaska Airlines
MAX 9 had "significant problems" and noted Boeing's history of
production issues. The FAA said 40 of the 171 grounded planes
needed to be reinspected before it can determine if safety is
adequate to allow the aircraft to resume flying.
    The FAA will also re-examine its decision to delegate some
responsibilities to Boeing and consider moving some functions
under independent, third-party entities.
    The investigation will determine if Boeing failed to ensure
completed products conformed to its approved designs and were in
condition for safe operation under FAA rules, the agency told
the planemaker in a letter dated Jan. 10.

    U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB)
    The independent U.S. agency has opened an investigation into
the incident, and it appointed International Associations of
Machinists and Aerospace workers (IAM) to the investigation.
    The NTSB said the plane's cockpit voice recorder was
overwritten, renewing long-standing calls for longer in-flight
recordings.

    BRAZIL
    Brazil's aviation regulator ANAC said on Jan. 7 the FAA
ruling automatically applies to all flights in Brazil.
    In Brazil, only Copa Airlines operates the plane, it said. 

    BRITAIN
    The UK Civil Aviation Authority said on Jan. 6 that no
UK-registered planes were affected. It will require any 737 MAX
9 operators entering its airspace to comply with the FAA
directive.

    CHINA
    China's aviation regulator has instructed the country's
airlines to conduct precautionary safety inspections on 737 MAX
jets, the Wall Street Journal reported. 
    Chinese airlines do not have the MAX 9 model in their fleet,
only MAX 8 which do not have the panel involved in the Alaska
Airlines incident.
    China Southern Airlines  600029.SS  had been preparing to
receive MAX planes in January, but it plans to conduct
additional safety inspections, the report said, citing people
familiar with the matter.
    Beijing is holding off from making further substantive moves
as it waits for more clarity from U.S. investigations, the WSJ
reported.

    EUROPEAN UNION
    The EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) adopted the FAA
directive, but noted no EU member state airlines operate
aircraft with the affected configuration.

    INDIA
    India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on
Jan. 8 that one-time inspections it had ordered of 737 MAX 8
aircraft had been performed satisfactorily. None of the
country's airlines fly the MAX 9 model.

    INDONESIA
    Indonesia temporarily grounded three MAX 9 planes operated
by Lion Air on Jan. 6, a transport ministry spokesperson said,
adding that the planes had different configurations from the
Alaska Airlines plane.

    PANAMA
    Panama's civil aviation authority said on Jan. 11 it had
grounded 21 of Copa Airlines' 737 MAX 9 planes. The carrier has
29 in its fleet, but only 21 have the affected panel.

    SOUTH KOREA
    South Korea's transport ministry said on Jan. 11 it will
conduct inspections of maintenance procedures of the country's
airlines operating 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
    The ministry said five South Korean airlines operate 14 MAX
8 airplanes. This comes after the ministry said no problems had
been detected after inspections on Jan. 9. 

    TURKEY
    Turkey's Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Jan. 8
noted the FAA's actions and said it was coordinating with
stakeholders regarding affected aircraft belonging to airlines
in Turkey and those using Turkish airspace.

    UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
    The civil aviation said on Jan. 7 that none of its national
carriers have planes affected by the order.

    <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
US FAA extends Boeing MAX 9 grounding for new safety checks   
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N3E3037
TIMELINE-Boeing's ongoing 737 MAX crisis     urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N3DW0J7
EXPLAINER-What is the panel that blew off a Boeing plane in
midair?     urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N3DX0CI
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
 (Reporting by Reuters bureaus
Compiled by Josephine Mason, Luca Fratangelo, Marleen Käsebier,
Lisa Barrington and Kylie Madry
Editing by Jamie Freed, Matthew Lewis and Milla Nissi)
 ((Josephine.Mason@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 7695; Reuters
Messaging: josephine.mason.reuters.com@reuters.net))