Air NZ says Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners not part of its fleet as US orders grounding after Alaska Airlines plane blowout

A screenshot from a video shared by a TikTok user of the Alaska Airlines plane after a section of the window and side wall blew out. Photo / TikTok/vy.covers

Federal officials ordered the immediate grounding of Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.

The required inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft and will affect about 171 airplanes worldwide.

However, Air New Zealand told NZME today that its fleet does not include Boeing 737 Max.

🚨#BREAKING: Alaska Airlines Forced to Make an Emergency Landing After Large Aircraft Window Blows Out Mid-Air ⁰⁰📌#Portland | #Oregon
⁰A Forced emergency landing was made of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 at Portland International Airport on Friday night. The flight, traveling… pic.twitter.com/nt0FwmPALE

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 6, 2024

“We have a number of different aircraft for our international and domestic flights including the Boeing 777-300ER, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A320ceo, Airbus A320neo, Airbus A321neo. For connecting people to our regions, we operate ATR72-600s and Q300 aircraft,” a spokesperson said.

An Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out a window and a portion of its fuselage shortly after takeoff 16,000ft above Oregon late Friday, creating a gaping hole that forced the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 174 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks.

No one was seriously hurt as the depressurised plane returned safely to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after it had departed, but the airline grounded its 65 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft until they can be inspected. The National Transportation Safety Board said on Saturday it will also investigate.

Passenger Evan Smith said a boy and his mother were sitting in the row where the window blew out and the child’s shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane.

“You heard a big loud bang to the left rear. A whooshing sound and all the oxygen masks deployed instantly and everyone got those on,” Smith told KATU-TV.

Flight 1282 and our next steps with the Boeing MAX-9: https://t.co/LFxJvQYNcA pic.twitter.com/oemRokr1tz

— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) January 6, 2024

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said the inspection of the company 737-9 fleet aircraft could take days to complete. They make up a fifth of the company’s 314 planes. It wasn’t immediately known on Saturday how that would affect the company’s flight schedule.

“We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred ... and will share updates as more information is available,” Minicucci said. “My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced.”

The Port of Portland, which operates the airport, told KPTV that the fire department treated minor injuries at the scene. One person was taken for more treatment, but wasn’t seriously hurt.

A photo shared on Twitter of the Alaska Airlines plane after a section of the window and side wall blew out. Photo / Twitter

Flight 1282 had taken off from Portland for a two-hour flight to Ontario, California. About six minutes later, the window and a chunk of the fuselage blew out as the plane was at about 16,000 feet. One of the pilots declared an emergency and asked for clearance to descend to 10,000 feet, the altitude where the air would have enough oxygen to breathe safely.

‘We need to turn back to Portland,” the pilot told controllers in a calm voice that she maintained throughout the landing process.

Videos posted by passengers online showed a gaping hole where the window had been and passengers wearing their masks. They applauded when the plane landed safely about 13 minutes after the window blew out. Firefighters then came down the aisle, asking passengers to remain in their seats as they treated the injured.

The aircraft involved rolled off the assembly line and received its certification just two months ago, according to online Federal Aviation Authority records. The plane had been on 145 flights since entering commercial service on November 11, said FlightRadar24, another tracking service. The flight from Portland was the aircraft’s third of the day.

The Max is the newest version of Boeing’s venerable 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle plane frequently used on US domestic flights. The plane went into service in May 2017.

The union representing flight attendants at 19 airlines, including Alaska Airlines, commended the crew for keeping passengers safe.

Alaska Airlines has grounded all its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners, affecting a fifth of the company's fleet until they can be inspected. Photo / AP

“Flight Attendants are trained for emergencies and we work every flight for aviation safety first and foremost,” the Association of Flight Attendants said in a statement Saturday.

Two Max 8 jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people and leading to a near two-year worldwide grounding of all Max 8 and Max 9 planes. The planes returned to service only after Boeing made changes to an automated flight control system implicated in the crashes.

Last year, the FAA told pilots to limit use of an anti-ice system on the Max in dry conditions because of concern that inlets around the engines could overheat and break away, possibly striking the plane.

Max deliveries have been interrupted at times to fix manufacturing flaws. The company told airlines in December to inspect the planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder-control system.