The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Wednesday the completion of inspections on an initial group of 40 Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets, marking a significant step toward potentially ungrounding the model. This move comes after a mid-air cabin panel blowout on January 5, involving an eight-week-old Alaska Airlines jet.
Last week, the FAA stated that 40 out of 171 grounded planes needed re-inspection before the agency could assess the results and determine the safety of allowing the MAX 9s to resume flights. The FAA mentioned it would “thoroughly review the data” and convene a Corrective Action Review Board before making any decisions. No specific timetable was provided for the decision.
