Europe’s Boeing 737 MAX-9 Aircraft are Safe, Says EASA After Alaska Airlines Incident
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced that Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft operating by airlines in EASA member states can continue to “operate normally” after an exit panel blew out from an Alaska Airlines plane in flight at an altitude of 16,000 feet leading to rapid decompression of the cabin and an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
The incident prompted Alaska Airlines to ground 65 of its Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ground 171 airplanes worldwide until further inspection under an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD).
The FAA said aircraft must be parked until emergency inspections are carried out which can take up to “eight hours per aircraft”.
“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 Max 9 planes before they can return to flight. Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the (National Transportation Safety Board’s) investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282,” said the FAA.
The order affects 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets globally.
EASA: No EU operators affected
Although the EASA adopted the EAD, which temporarily grounds aircraft in this specific configuration until an inspection has been completed, the agency said citing statements by the FAA and Boeing, that no airline in an EASA member state currently operates aircraft in the relevant configuration.
“The 737-9 aircraft operating in Europe do not have this configuration and are therefore not grounded by the EAD and can continue to operate normally,” it said in a statement.
EASA said it was in communication with the FAA on the issue and will follow the investigation into the Alaska Airlines event closely.
Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines was forced to cancel 160 flights on Saturday and many more flights on Sunday.
On its part, manufacturing company Boeing released a statement on the 737-9 inspections: “Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers. We agree with and fully support the FAA’s decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane. In addition, a Boeing technical team is supporting the NTSB’s [National Transportation Safety Board’s] investigation into the Jan. 5 accident. We will remain in close contact with our regulator and customers.”
HAD A PASSENGER BEEN SUCKED OUT, EASA’S DECISIONS WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SO SPEEDY.