Alaska Airlines canceled all of its flights on Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets through Saturday after the airliner was involved in a disastrous cabin-panel blowout.
During the 737 MAX 9’s hiatus, Alaska Airlines said it would be conducting inspections of its 737 MAX 9 fleet — which includes 65 of planes — as it “prepares fully for return to service.”
“We regret the significant disruption that has been caused for our guests by cancellations due to these aircraft being out of service,” the airline added in a press release shared Wednesday.
It noted that the flight cancellations are expected to impact as many as 150 per day through Saturday, and the airline is “working around the clock to reaccommodate impacted guests.”
“However, the safety of our employees and guests is our highest priority and we will only return these aircraft to service when all findings have been fully resolved and meet all FAA and Alaska’s stringent standards,” the embattled company added. Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Alaska Airlines suspended Boeing 737 MAX 9 flights through Saturday. AFP via Getty ImagesThe 737 MAX 9 planes are manufactured by Boeing, whose CEO Dave Calhoun is reportedly working with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation “to ensure every next airplane that moves into the sky is in fact safe and that this event can never happen again.”
Separately on Wednesday, Calhoun told CNBC that its cancellations won’t affect approvals of Boeing’s smaller MAX 7 and larger MAX 10 models, which were seeking exemption to certain regulations that would allow them to attain certification before completing required design changes.
“This issue is on a discrete set of airplanes,” Calhoun told CNBC. “They’re very much unrelated,” he added of the other plane models.
This comes after a panel blew out midair. Instagram/@strawberrvy via REUTECalhoun already addressed Boeing’s workforce during an all-hands meeting at the company’s 737 aircraft factory near Seattle on Tuesday.
The chief executive reportedly fought back tears while “acknowledging our mistake” that caused the terrifying midair door plug blowout during an Alaska Airlines flight.
That flight, No. 1282, was forced to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport on Friday evening after a chunk of fuselage blew off at about 16,000 feet, leaving a gaping hole in the plane.
“I’ve got kids, I’ve got grandkids and so do you,” Calhoun added during the meeting — which was webcast to workers based around the country — as he recalled seeing photographs of the plane’s damaged fuselage.
In a stroke of luck, there was no passenger in seat 26A on the flight, which was directly next to the panel that blew out.
“We continue to be in close contact with our customers and the FAA on the required inspections,” a Boeing spokesperson said. As part of the process, we are making updates based on their feedback and requirements.”






