Biden admin greenlights plan for Boeing planes’ return to service

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Wednesday that it would permit The Boeing Company to put its MAX 9 planes back into service after a series of mechanical and structural problems.

The FAA will not allow the “production expansion of the MAX, including the 737-9 MAX” unless “the quality control issues uncovered during this process are resolved,” according to a press release. The department also cleared the way for the 171 Boeing 737-9 MAX to be put back into service provided each aircraft went through a thorough inspection.

“We grounded the Boeing 737-9 MAX within hours of the incident over Portland and made clear this aircraft would not go back into service until it was safe,” Mike Whitaker, FAA administrator, said in the press release. “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.”

United Airlines is planning to start using its 79 Max 9 planes on Sunday, and Alaska Airlines is going to put a “few planes” back into service on Friday, adding more planes over time, according to The New York Times.

The FAA began the investigation on Jan. 10 after United Airlines found loose bolts near or around the plug doors on five of its Boeing aircraft and after an emergency door plug ripped off the side of an Alaska Airlines Boeing plane mid-flight. In order to comply with the FAA’s new inspection rules, Boeing must go over “specific bolts, guide tracks, and fittings,” conduct “detailed visual inspections of left and right mid-cabin exit door plugs and dozens of associated components, “retorquing fasteners” and correct “any damage or abnormal conditions,” according to the announcement.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Tuesday that his airline was making plans to avoid using Boeing’s MAX 10 in the future.

“I think the Max 9 grounding is probably the straw that broke the camel’s back for us,” Kirby told CNBC News. “We’re going to at least build a plan that doesn’t have the Max 10 in it.”

Boeing did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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