On Monday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that nearly 94% of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft have been inspected and returned to service by two American airlines. The FAA had previously grounded the MAX 9 planes following a cabin panel blowout incident on an Alaska Airlines jet on January 5 but lifted the grounding on January 24. According to the FAA, 78 out of 79 United Airlines MAX 9 planes and 57 out of 65 Alaska MAX 9 planes have been inspected and are back in service. Alaska Airlines expects to complete inspections on all remaining planes, except the one involved in the emergency, by Tuesday.
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The inspections mandated by the FAA involve a thorough examination of specific bolts, guide tracks, fittings, door plugs, and numerous related components. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating whether the plane that experienced the cabin panel blowout was missing any bolts. The grounding of the planes led to the cancellation of thousands of flights in January.
Jodi Baker, the Deputy FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, informed reporters on Monday that the FAA is rethinking its supervision of Boeing. She stated that the FAA is conducting a comprehensive inspection of Boeing’s Renton 737 factory, from nose to tail and wingtip to wingtip. The results of this inspection are expected to guide the FAA’s revised oversight approach. Baker also mentioned that the FAA might require additional staff and will continue to perform regular audits. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker is scheduled to testify before a U.S. House committee on Tuesday. Last week, lawmakers questioned him about potential changes to the FAA’s on-site monitoring of Boeing and its suppliers.
Baker expressed the FAA’s intention to increase surveillance, emphasizing the importance of building relationships with employees to better understand their daily challenges and identify any systemic issues with the manufacturer. Last month, the FAA prohibited Boeing from increasing the production of its top-selling 737 MAX due to “unacceptable” quality problems. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun stated last week that Boeing is currently manufacturing 737s at a rate of 38 per month and will maintain this rate until both the FAA and Boeing are satisfied with the quality of the manufacturing process. The FAA has not provided an estimate for the duration of this restriction.