After the incident with a Boeing plane in which a part of the fuselage tore out in the middle of the flight, the boss of the affected airline vented his anger in unusually sharp words.
“I’m angry,” said Ben Minicucci of Alaska Airlines on Tuesday (local time) to the US broadcaster NBC. Alaska found loose fasteners on “many” other Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft at the site, he added. The Alaska boss did not give an exact number.
On January 5th, shortly after take-off, a part of the fuselage broke out of the almost new Alaska plane with more than 170 people on board. Instead, some configurations of the more seat type have a door. However, this variant of the 737-9 Max instead has a cover that closes the opening. The FAA and other authorities ordered all approximately 170 similar aircraft of the type to be grounded for investigation. No one was seriously injured in the incident – however, by a lucky coincidence, the two seats directly at the opening remained empty.
Alaska has 65 aircraft of this type. They make up around a fifth of the airline’s fleet – and just last year Alaska sold off several Airbus (Airbus SE (ex EADS)) aircraft in order to rely on Boeing. The airline now wants to send more of its own inspectors to the aircraft manufacturer’s production lines.
United Airlines (United Airlines) boss Scott Kirby also criticized Boeing on Tuesday, but was more cautious in his choice of words. Kirby said he was “disappointed” several times on CNBC. Boeing must ultimately get the production problems under control, he demanded. At the same time, Kirby said that United would prepare future flight plans without the new 737-10 Max aircraft. The plane’s certification is still pending – and United no longer relies on it coming this year as planned. Without the 737-10 Max, United will grow more slowly than planned, emphasized Kirby.
Boeing plane loses a wheel shortly before takeoff in the USA
A US airline Delta plane lost a nose wheel shortly before take-off in the US state of Georgia. The aircraft was a Boeing 757 that was supposed to fly to the Colombian capital Bogotá, US media reported on Wednesday (local time). According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), one of the wheels in the front part of the plane came off during take-off preparations at Atlanta airport. The incident therefore occurred on Saturday.
There were 184 passengers and six crew members on board the plane, it said. The passengers left the plane and were taken to a replacement plane, the Washington Post reported, citing a statement from Delta Airlines. The affected aircraft was put back into operation on Sunday.
The aircraft manufacturer Boeing was recently in the headlines because of an incident with one of its aircraft in which a part of the fuselage fell out during the flight. The FAA opened an investigation. These could go far beyond the problem with the specific component. The supervisors had ordered Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft to be grounded and inspected.
In US trading on the NYSE, Boeing shares gained 1.25 percent to $214.15.
SEATTLE / ATLANTA (dpa-AFX)
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