Alaska Airlines returned Boeing 737 Max-9 planes to service after the Federal Aviation Administration certified a thorough inspection process this week.
The decision comes weeks after a door on Alaska Airlines flight 1282 flew off shortly after takeoff from Portland, OR. Since then, all 737 Max-9’s were grounded across the United States. The FAA quickly began an investigation and set an inspection process for airliners to check for faulty door-plug bolts.
As the airliner resumed service, starting with a flight from Seattle to San Diego, passengers were confident the inspections caught any glaring issues.
“I really hope they did their safety checks and really did a once-over with their engineers and safety teams,” said passenger Charles Gandy.
Like Alaska, United Airlines discovered loose door plug bolts on Max-9 aircraft.
Boeing stated that its immediate goal is to restore operations as safely as possible for airliners. The company held a work pause for a quality and safety work session, with Senior Vice President Elizabeth Lund speaking to employees.
“The flying public is counting on us,” said Lund. “We are counting on us.”
Alaska and United remain the only airlines currently operating the 737 Max-9 domestically.
