The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered the temporary grounding and inspections of some Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, a day after a fuselage section on a brand-new Alaska Airlines jet blew out shortly after takeoff, leaving a gaping hole.
The move affects about 171 planes worldwide, according to a statement by the FAA. Alaska, the world¡¯s second-biggest operator of the type, had already grounded its Max 9 fleet in the wake of Friday¡¯s incident after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. United Airlines, the model¡¯s top operator, also took some of the jets out of service for inspections. Neither of Japan¡¯s two largest airlines, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, operate the model.
¡°Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB¡¯s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282,¡± FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a post on X.
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