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Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max-9 aircraft grounded at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, USA. /CFP
United Airlines said on Sunday that it was extending the cancellation of its MAX 9 flights through January 26, local media reported.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) late on Sunday recommended airlines operating Boeing 737-900ER jets inspect door plugs, to ensure they are properly secured after some operators reported unspecified issues with bolts upon inspections.
The recommendation follows the FAA's grounding of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes after the January 5 mid-air cabin blowout of a door plug on an eight-week-old Alaska Airlines MAX 9 jet.
The 737-900ER is not part of the newer MAX fleet but has the same optional door plug design that allows for the addition of an extra emergency exit door when carriers opt to install more seats.
The FAA issued a "Safety Alert for Operators" disclosing some airlines have conducted additional inspections on the 737-900ER mid-exit door plugs "and have noted findings with bolts during the maintenance inspections."
It recommended air carriers perform key portions of a fuselage plug assembly maintenance procedure related to the four bolts used to secure the door plug to the airframe "as soon as possible."
A Boeing spokesperson said in an email that "we fully support the FAA and our customers in this action." Boeing first delivered the 737-900ER in 2007 and last one in 2019.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the only two U.S. carriers that use the MAX 9, said this month they had found loose parts on multiple grounded MAX 9 aircraft during preliminary checks. They have had to cancel thousands of flights this month because of the grounding.
(With input from Reuters)