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The FAA lifted its grounding of MAX 9 airplanes on Jan. 24 after it halted flights following the cabin panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines jet on Jan. 5. The FAA said 78 of 79 United Airlines MAX 9 planes have been inspected and returned to service and 57 of 65 Alaska MAX 9 planes.
Dave Calhoun is set to hold meetings starting Wednesday on Capitol Hill. He is scheduled to meet with Senators Ted Cruz, a Republican, and Mark Warner, a Democrat, among others following the mid-air blowout of a cabin panel on a new Alaska Airlines jet, sources told Reuters. Boeing declined to comment.
The latest safety lapse at Boeing renews concerns about the company's influence in Washington and whether federal regulators have delegated too much of their oversight authority to its employees.
Boeing is facing a delay in resuming deliveries of 737 MAX jets to China following a panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines MAX 9. China Southern Airlines plans to conduct additional safety inspections on the aircraft, while China's aviation regulator instructs airlines to conduct precautionary safety inspections on their Boeing 737 MAX jets. Boeing declined to comment on the matter.
The most recent incident involving a Boeing 737 Max won't stop airlines from using the craft. There simply aren't that many other options.