Boeing MAX 9 aircraft that have been thoroughly inspected and approved are allowed to return to service, the FAA has announced late on Wednesday. Alaska Airlines said it will resume operations of the type on Friday and United Airlines from Sunday. At the same time, the FAA has stepped up scrutiny of Boeing by blocking any expansion of the MAX production in Renton.
The FAA said it has approved a detailed set of inspection and maintenance instructions after reviewing data from 40 MAX 9s, specifically the mid-cabin door plug. This part failed on January 5 on the Alaska Airlines flights after departure from Portland, causing a sudden decompression.
Active as a journalist since 1987, with a background in newspapers, magazines, and a regional news station, Richard has been covering commercial aviation on a freelance basis since late 2016.
Richard is contributing to AirInsight since December 2018. He also writes for Airliner World, Aviation News, Piloot & Vliegtuig, and Luchtvaartnieuws Magazine. Twitter: @rschuur_aero.
