Alaska Airlines inspects Boeing 737-9 MAX for safety concerns

Passenger oxygen masks hang from the roof next to a missing window and a portion of a side wall of an Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which had been bound for Ontario, California and suffered depressurization soon after departing, in Portland, Oregon, U.S., Jan. 5, 2024. Photo handout via Reuters

A flight operated by the airline, with 174 passengers and 6 crew members, heading from Portland to California, had to make an emergency landing soon after takeoff on Jan. 5, as reported by Business Insider.

Social media is circulating photos and a video showing a significant section missing from the left side of the plane, with passengers wearing oxygen masks during the plane’s quick descent.

Alaska Airlines confirmed the incident on X, previously known as Twitter, on the same day and stated that all of its 65 Boeing 737-9 MAX planes were undergoing a safety standards inspection. An active investigation into the cause of the Jan. 5 mishap had been carried out as well, the airline said, and it committed to providing more information as it becomes available.

The airline announced the following day that it had finished extensive safety inspections on 18 of its 65 planes and planned to return these aircraft to service.

An aircraft from Alaska Airlines. Photo from Alaska Airline' Instagram

Still under scrutiny by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S., the Jan. 5 incident has revived worries about the Boeing 737-9 MAX. This model is part of the Boeing 737 MAX series, which was previously embroiled in controversy following two significant crashes in 2018 and 2019, causing 346 deaths and leading to the model’s worldwide grounding.

As reported by CNN, other airlines, including Turkish Airlines and Panama’s Copa Airlines, have also suspended the service of their Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft for checks.