Planes to undergo inspection after window explosion before return to UK airspace
An entire fleet of Boeing Max-9 aircraft will be inspected before any aircraft are allowed to return to UK airspace after a window exploded mid-flight today.
Alaska Airlines has made the decision on safety grounds following the incident shortly after take-off. The gaping hole caused the cabin to depressurise and the pilot had to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport in Oregon, US.
The National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed it is investigating and, tonight, Britain's Civil Aviation Authority said the impact on UK-operated aircraft is minimal. Each plane, however, will be inspected by permit carriers before operation in the UK.
It said: "We can confirm there are no UK-registered 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The impact on UK operated aircraft and consumers is minimal. We have written to non-UK and foreign permit carriers to ask inspections have been undertaken prior to operation in UK airspace."
Alaska Airlines grounded the entire fleet for safety reasons, it said. The company provided no immediate information about whether anyone was injured or the possible cause.
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The window on the plane was completely blown out (Elizabeth/CBS news)
One passenger said she was 'so scared' during the disturbance (Elizabeth/CBS news)But in a statement, CEO Ben Minicucci said: "At Alaska Airlines, safety is our foundational value and the most important thing we focus on every day. Following tonight's event on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing MAX-9 aircraft. Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections. We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days.
"I am personally committed to doing everything we can to conduct this review in a timely and transparent way. We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred tonight, and will share updates as more information is available. The NTSB is investigating this event and we will fully support their investigation.
Alaska Airlines has grounded a set of planes after the window exploded on one in the US (TNS)"My heart goes out to those who were on this flight - I am so sorry for what you experienced. I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants. We have teams on the ground in Portland assisting passengers and are working to support guests who are traveling in the days ahead."
The plane was diverted about six minutes after taking off at 5:07 pm, according to flight tracking data from the FlightAware website. It landed at 5:26 pm. Dramatic photos sent to Fox News by a passenger show a large section of the airplane’s window missing. It departed at 4:40 p.m. and was back in Portland around 5:30 p.m. There were 171 passengers and six crew members on board at the time, according to reports.
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