Alaska Airlines resumes Boeing 737 MAX 9 flights after inspections By Reuters

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: An Alaska Airlines commercial aircraft is seen parked next to the San Diego Airport in California, USA, January 18, 2024, as the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation into the Boeing 737 M.

(Reuters) – Alaska Airlines on Friday said it had completed inspections of its first group of Boeing (NYSE:) 737 MAX 9 aircraft, clearing the airline to return the MAX 9s to service following an in-flight explosion earlier this month. .

The airline resumed some MAX 9 operations Friday afternoon, beginning with Flight 1146 from Seattle to San Diego.

Alaska said it began testing the first MAX 9 Wednesday night after the Federal Aviation Administration approved inspection standards.

“We anticipate that inspections of the 737-9 MAX will be completed by the end of next week to enable operation of a full flight schedule,” the airline said, adding that inspections will take approximately 12 hours per aircraft.

After the Alaska Airlines flight landed, Boeing Commercial Airlines President Stan Deal released a letter to employees, saying the team had “worked diligently” to create inspection standards that would allow the aircraft to return to service, and that Boeing now has employees working to improve quality. It’s a process where we evaluate the “hundreds” of ideas submitted.

“Our long-term focus is to improve quality to restore the trust of our customers, regulators and the aviation public,” he said. “We own these problems and we will fix them.

The Copa Airlines jet became the first MAX 9 to return to service on Thursday.

Alaska and United Airlines, the two U.S. carriers that operate the MAX 9, have canceled thousands of flights this month since the 171 MAX 9 was grounded on January 6.