Alaska Airlines has resumed operations of its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, following a nearly three-week grounding by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The first flight, Alaska Airlines Flight 1146, is scheduled to depart from Seattle to San Diego on Friday, January 26, at 2:20 p.m. Pacific time.
The FAA had grounded 171 Max 9 planes in the U.S. after an incident on January 5, where an exit-door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines plane shortly after takeoff from Portland. On Wednesday, the FAA outlined a detailed inspection and maintenance process that airlines must complete before putting Max 9 planes back into service.
Alaska Airlines stated that its Max 9 planes would return to service "only after the rigorous inspections are completed and each plane is deemed airworthy according to FAA requirements." These individual inspections are expected to take up to 12 hours per aircraft.
The airline anticipates having its entire fleet of 65 Max 9s operational by late next week. However, the grounding has had a significant financial impact, with Alaska Airlines estimating a negative effect of approximately $150 million.
United Airlines, which operates 79 Max 9s, also expects to begin reintroducing its planes to service starting Sunday.
This move marks a significant step for Alaska Airlines as it works to ensure the safety and reliability of its fleet, following the FAA's stringent guidelines and inspection processes.
