United Airlines, Alaska Air Find Loose Parts In 737 Max 9 Planes Amid Boeing Safety Crisis

United Airlines, during its initial inspections found at least 10 planes with loose bolts. Alaska Airlines technicians also discovered loose hardware in the door plug area.

Boeing is expected to revise the guidelines it initially provided to airlines on Monday.

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United Airlines and Alaska Air have found several Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft with loose parts in their grounded fleet following a mid-flight scare on an Alaska Air plane. Several planes owned by United Airlines have been discovered with loose bolts and other installation issues. This has sparked concerns within the industry about the manufacturing process of this best-selling jet family. 

United Airlines, during its initial inspections, identified nearly 10 planes with loose bolts, an increase from the initially reported five, as reported by industry publication The Air Current. This number might rise further as additional checks are carried out, according to a Reuters report citing a source.

United Airlines addressed these findings, stating, "Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug. For example, bolts that needed additional tightening. These findings will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to service," as reported by The Guardian.

Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines has announced its readiness to start inspections after it receives final revised guidelines from Boeing and subsequent FAA approvals. In a recent statement on Monday evening, Alaska Airlines disclosed that during inspections of their 737 Max 9 fleet, maintenance technicians discovered loose hardware in the door plug area. The statement noted, "Initial reports from our technicians indicate some loose hardware was visible on some aircraft."

Moreover, the Boeing jetliner involved in the inflight blowout incident was grounded and excluded from flights to Hawaii after a warning light, potentially indicating a pressurization issue, appeared on three separate flights,

Boeing, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and airlines are currently in ongoing discussions to establish precise inspection guidelines. Boeing is expected to revise the guidelines it initially provided to airlines on Monday, pending FAA approval before the repair process can begin. Boeing has assured continued collaboration with MAX 9 operators, offering support to address any issues uncovered during customer inspections.

To date, Boeing has delivered approximately 218 737 MAX 9 planes globally.