Factbox: What airlines, regulators are doing about Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets
10/01/2024 07:26
(Adds latest from Alaska Airlines and United and entries for
Corendon Dutch, Air Tanzania)
Jan 10 (Reuters) - The latest setback for Boeing's
BA.N top-selling 737 MAX aircraft occurred on Friday when a
panel blew off an Alaska Airlines ALK.N plane forcing its
pilots to make an emergency landing.
U.S. regulators have ordered a temporary grounding for
safety checks on 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets installed with the
same panel, while investigations and safety checks take place.
There are about 215 737 MAX 9 jets in service globally in
total, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Carriers offering denser seating configurations have an exit
door at that position instead of the panel and are not affected
by the grounding order.
Here's 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.
It said on Monday that initial reports from its technicians
indicated some "loose hardware" was visible on some aircraft in
the relevant area when it conducted checks of its fleet.
Alaska Airlines has cancelled hundreds of flights since the
incident. That included 109 flights, or 18% of its schedule on
Tuesday. Similar cancellations were expected on Wednesday.
UNITED AIRLINES UAL.O
The only other U.S. airline that operates the jets has
suspended service on all 79 of its 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
The carrier said on Monday that its preliminary checks found
bolts that needed tightening on several panels.
United cancelled 225 flights, or 8% of its total schedule on
Tuesday. Similar cancellations were expected on Wednesday.
COPA AIRLINES
The Panamanian carrier said on Tuesday that 21 Boeing 737
MAX 9 planes remained grounded while the authorities and the
manufacturer defined the inspection instructions necessary for
their safe and reliable evaluation and return to operation.
TURKISH AIRLINES
The airline said on Sunday it had withdrawn five 737 MAX 9
aircraft from service for inspection.
AEROMEXICO
The airline said on Sunday it had grounded 19 affected 737
MAX 9 jets for inspection.
AIRLINES THAT LACK THE AFFECTED PANEL:
FLYDUBAI
The airline said on Sunday that its three Boeing 737 MAX 9
planes were not affected. It operates the aircraft with a
deactivated mid-aft exit door configuration, which is not
affected by the directive.
AIR TANZANIA
Air Tanzania has one 737 MAX, 9 but its CEO told Reuters
on Sunday that Boeing had told the airline that its aircraft was
not of the type that needed to be inspected.
CORENDON DUTCH AIRLINES
Corendon Dutch said on Monday it has two 737 MAX 9, but the
airline uses the extra seating capacity and therefore the extra
door, so the plane does not require inspection.
ICELANDAIR
Icelandair said on Monday it was not affected by the FAA
grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
"It has been confirmed that the issue is related to
equipment that is not a part of Icelandair's Boeing 737 MAX 9
configuration," said a spokesperson for the airline, which
operates four of the aircraft.
REGULATORS:
U.S. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA)
The FAA issued a directive on Saturday temporarily grounding
certain 737 MAX 9 planes.
The FAA said on Tuesday that Boeing was revising its
instructions for inspections and maintenance, which the
regulator must still approve before checks can begin.
The FAA said it "will conduct a thorough review" and public
safety will determine the timeline for returning the MAX to
service.
U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB)
The independent U.S. agency has opened an investigation into
the Alaska Airlines incident.
The NTSB said the plane's cockpit voice recorder was
overwritten, renewing its long-standing safety calls for longer
in-flight recordings.
BRAZIL
Brazil's aviation regulator ANAC said on Sunday the FAA
ruling automatically applies to all flights in Brazil.
In Brazil, only Copa Airlines operates the plane, it said.
CHINA
China's regulator has sought details on the incident, a
person familiar with the matter said on Saturday. Bloomberg
reported earlier that China, the first country to ground MAX
flights in 2019, was considering whether to take action.
Chinese airlines have not yet resumed delivery of any MAX
models and analysts said the Alaska Airlines incident had the
potential to cause further delays.
EUROPEAN UNION
The European Union 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
Monday that one-time inspections it had ordered of Boeing 737
MAX 8 aircraft had been performed satisfactorily. None of the
country's airlines fly the 737 MAX 9 model.
INDONESIA
grounded three Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes operated by Lion Air
on Saturday, a transport ministry spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the planes had different
configurations from the Alaska Airlines plane.
The ministry will coordinate with the FAA, Boeing and Lion
Air to monitor the situation, adding that "operational safety
will be our priority".
UK
The UK Civil Aviation Authority said on Saturday there are
no UK-registered planes affected. It will require any 737 MAX 9
operators entering its airspace to comply with the FAA
directive.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The civil aviation said on Sunday that none of its national
carriers have planes affected by the order.
TURKEY
Turkey's Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Monday
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.
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea's transport ministry on Sunday asked five
airlines to inspect their 14 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. On
Tuesday, the ministry said no problems had been detected.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Boeing checks hit paperwork snag; US investigators search for
missing part urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N3DX03H
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; Editing by
Jason Neely, Louise Heavens and Jamie Freed)
((Josephine.Mason@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 7695; Reuters
Messaging: josephine.mason.reuters.com@reuters.net))