Analysts say MAX 9-related disruptions could cost airlines millions of dollars.
Boeing’s Deal said that in the weeks since the Alaska Airlines incident, several steps had been taken “to strengthen quality assurance and controls.”
They included adding new levels of quality checks for affected models and appointing a retired navy admiral, Kirkland Donald, to oversee an independent review of Boeing’s safety and quality practices.
This week, 10,000 Boeing employees working on 737 MAX production paused their work for a day to discuss ways of improving safety practices, “a quality stand-down at a scale we have not done before,” according to Deal.
He added that along with Alaska Airlines and United, Aeromexico and Turkish Airlines are set to return their 737 MAX 9’s to service “in the coming days.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration grounded 171 MAX 9 planes after the Jan 5 incident, in which a door plug blew out mid-flight.
While nobody was seriously injured, inspectors have said the episode could have been catastrophic.
The US Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been investigating the incident and is expected to report on its findings next week.
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