Alaska halts flights by 18 additional MAX 9 planes after FAA directive

Alaska Airlines said it had halted flights by 18 Boeing MAX 9 airplanes pending potential additional maintenance work that U.S. regulators may require.

The airline had resumed flights on 18 of its 65 MAX 9 planes that had received in-depth inspections as part of heavy maintenance checks.

The entire Alaska MAX 9 fleet was voluntarily grounded early on Saturday after one of its planes had been forced to make an emergency landing.