Boeing checks hit paperwork snag; US investigators search for missing part
- Federal Aviation Administration had said checks would take 4 to 8 hours, but FAA must approve Boeing’s inspection criteria before flights can resume
- On Friday, the door plug tore off the left side of an Alaska Airlines jet following takeoff from Portland, Oregon, en route to Ontario, California
Safety checks on some Boeing jets hit a snag over paperwork on Sunday, as US authorities searched for a missing panel that blew off a new Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet in midair on Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing jets installed with the same panel after the eight-week-old Alaska Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing with a gap in the fuselage.
“They will remain grounded until the FAA is satisfied that they are safe,” the agency said in a statement on Sunday.
Alaska Airlines said it has cancelled 170 Sunday flights affecting nearly 25,000 guests. The airline expects additional significant cancellations during the first half of the week, it said on Sunday.
On Saturday, the FAA initially said the required inspections would take four to eight hours, leading many in the industry to assume the planes could very quickly return to service.
But criteria for the checks have yet to be agreed between the FAA and Boeing, meaning airlines have yet to receive detailed instructions, people familiar with the matter said.
