North American airlines Alaska Airlines and United Airlines canceled a total of 350 flights on Sunday, following an incident that occurred on Friday with a Boeing plane.
Alaska Airlines said it canceled 170 scheduled flights with Boeing 737 Max 9 planes, more than a fifth of the planned flights, while United Airlines indicated the cancellation of 180 flights on Sunday, despite having managed to use another type of plane.
The 737 Max 9″ have been removed from service until confirmed by the FAA [Administração Federal da Aviação] details on potential additional maintenance work,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are the only US airlines that use Boeing Max 9 aircraft.
On Saturday, the FAA had issued a directive ordering that 171,737 Max 9 aircraft undergo an “immediate inspection” by the airlines that use them “before embarking on a new flight,” and the operation is estimated to last between four and eight hours by plane.
The decision came after an incident with an Alaska Airlines plane that made an emergency landing on Friday night in Portland, in the northwest of the United States, after a window and a piece of the fuselage fell out.
The airline said the plane landed safely with 174 passengers and six crew members.
The hole caused the cabin to depressurize, but the company did not provide information on whether there were injuries or the possible cause.
Source: TSF
