The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved a detailed inspection framework that will allow Boeing 737 Max 9 planes to resume flying following an emergency landing earlier this month by an Alaska Airlines aircraft. Immediately after the announcement from the Federal Aviation Administration, United Airlines said it expects the grounded planes to return to service starting as early as next Sunday.
“We will only return each Max 9 aircraft to service once this thorough inspection process is completed. We are preparing the aircraft to return to scheduled service starting Sunday,” said Toby Enqvist, chief operating officer of United Airlines.
The FAA’s announcement is an important step after the agency grounded 171 Max 9s following the Jan. 5 crash on an Alaska Airlines plane. The stranded 737 Maxes are the same configuration as the Alaska Airlines plane that suffered a panel blowout on its fuselage, exposing passengers to the open air and requiring an emergency landing. No one was injured in the crash, although safety inspectors said it could have been catastrophic.
Under the FAA’s “enhanced maintenance” process, airlines will conduct an inspection of specific bolts and fittings, detailed visual inspections of plugs and components, and address “any damage or abnormal conditions,” the FAA said for which inspections will ensure that parts are “conform to the original design and safe for operation” and no aircraft “may operate until the process is completed and compliance with the original design is confirmed”