Aeon Aviation Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Alaska Airlines (NYSE:ALK) is grounding its fleet of 737 Max planes made by Boeing (NYSE:BA) after a new plane lost part of its fuselage, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.
The 737 Max-9, which carried 171 passengers and six crew, late Friday returned safely to Portland International Airport shortly after takeoff. The crew reported a “pressurization issue,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Passengers on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 posted pictures and videos to social media that showed a large hole in the midsection of the plane. The plane was traveling to Ontario International Airport in California.
The FAA had certified the plane in November. The agency and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.
“Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections,” Ben Minicucci, chief executive of Alaska Airlines (ALK), said in a statement. “We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days.”
