Thousands face flight cancellations in wake of mid-air blowout
Harry KembleMajor US airlines – including United Airlines – have been forced to ground dozens of Boeing planes after a mid-flight blowout over Oregon.
The US aviation regulator said 171 Boeing 737 Max 9s must be grounded for checks after part of an Alaska Airlines plane’s fuselage fell off on Friday (5 January), leading to rapid decompression of the cabin.
The Alaska plane carrying 177 passengers and crew landed safely back in Portland.
Following the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order, Alaska said flight disruptions are expected to last into next week as it was forced to ground 65 aircraft.
United Airlines has grounded 79 planes, which is the bulk of the aircraft affected.
Thousands of passengers are facing flight cancellations.
However, disruptions are likely to primarily affect flights in the US as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said no European airlines operate Max 9s with the same configuration covered by the FAA order.
Required inspections are expected to take around four to eight hours per aircraft, the FAA said.
Sign up for weekday travel news and analysis straight to your inbox
Harry Kemble
Supplier Directory
Find contacts for 260+ travel suppliers. Type name, company or destination.
Recommended For You
Latest travel jobs
Travel Consultant - Plymouth
Cruise Consultant, Glasgow
Assistant Manager - Birkenhead
Competitions
Upcoming events
TTG Top 50 Travel Agencies 2025
Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
