(Reuters) – Alaska Airlines ALK.N said yesterday it would cancel all flights on 737 MAX 9 jets through Saturday as it continues to wait for regulatory approvals to resume flying after a cabin panel blowout Boeing suggested was caused by a “quality” issue.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Saturday grounded 171 Boeing BA.N jets installed with the same panel after the emergency landing, including Alaska Airlines’ 65 MAX 9s.
The move has forced the cancellation of about 20% of the Seattle-based airline’s daily schedule for five consecutive days and 150 flights for Thursday.
United Airlines UAL.O, the other U.S. 737 MAX 9 operator with 79 of the planes in its fleet, said it had canceled 167 flights on Wednesday and expected “significant” cancellations on Thursday as well.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg declined to say on Wednesday when the FAA may allow the planes to resume flights but said it would only be when safe.
“The only consideration on the timeline is safety,” Buttigieg told reporters. “Until it is ready, it is not ready. Nobody can or should be rushed in that process.”
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told CNBC on Wednesday that a “quality escape” was at issue in the MAX 9 cabin blowout that left a gaping hole in the plane that had been in service for just eight weeks, but added key questions remained.
“What broke down in our gauntlet of inspections? What broke down in the original work that allowed for that escape to happen?” Calhoun said.
