FAA approves a path for Boeing 737 Max 9s to return to operations

Boeing CEO David Calhoun’s Wednesday was decidedly a mixed bag: The Federal Aviation Administration finally approved a set of inspection criteria for the 171 grounded 737 Max 9 planes that, if followed, could return the aircraft to service. But he also learned that his company faces yet another investigation into its safety issues.

Boeing CEO David Calhoun’s Wednesday was decidedly a mixed bag: The Federal Aviation Administration finally approved a set of inspection criteria for the 171 grounded 737 Max 9 planes that, if followed, could return the aircraft to service. But he also learned that his company faces yet another investigation into its safety issues. The FAA late Wednesday opened its announcement with a stern warning: “The January 5 Boeing 737-9 Max incident must never happen again,” referring to an incident earlier this month in which part of an Alaska Airlines flight blew off in mid-air. And the FAA said it would not grant any production expansion of the 737 Max lineup while its safety probe of Boeing continues. But the FAA cleared the way for the planes to return to the air. Airlines, especially Alaska and United, had faced hundreds of cancellations a day because of the grounding. “The exhaustive, enhanced review our team completed after several weeks of information gathering gives me and the FAA confidence to proceed to the inspection and maintenance phase,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement. Each of the 171 grounded aircraft must be inspected, including the bolts, fittings and guide tracks for the door plug, the piece of fuselage that flew off an Alaska Airlines plane earlier this month. The process also includes tightening fasteners and performing “detailed inspections of…dozens of associated components. ” It’s unclear how long it will take for the planes to be inspected and return to service. Earlier this week, United said it expects the planes to be grounded through the end of the month.