Alaska Airlines Resumes Flights After Door Latches Detached in Midair

Alaska Airlines has resumed flights of its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft after door latches detached midair on one of its planes three weeks ago, according to ABC News.

On Friday afternoon, two flights of the Max 9 were completed, one from Las Vegas to Portland (Oregon) and another from Seattle to Ontario (Canada).

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued final directives for airlines to begin inspecting their 737 Max 9 aircraft. On Wednesday, the airline confirmed plans to return some of its 737 Max 9 jets to service on Friday following thorough inspections.

The FAA has intensified scrutiny of Boeing and initiated checks on the manufacturing and preparation of the company’s aircraft. On Wednesday, Boeing issued a statement confirming it would continue comprehensive cooperation with the FAA.

The FAA announced that it approved inspection and maintenance guidelines and added an operational review committee consisting of safety experts who reviewed and approved the inspection and maintenance process.

Alaska is expected to return to full operations in the first week of February, said CEO Ben Minicucci. The airline has 65 737 Max 9 aircraft.

Previously, the FAA had grounded a total of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft globally due to the incident in the air. Earlier in January, an Alaska Airlines flight made an unscheduled landing in Oregon after an aluminum component broke and a section of the fuselage detached.

The incident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.