Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it completed inspections on the initial group of 40 Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) 737 MAX 9 jets, marking a crucial step towards potentially ungrounding the model after a mid-air cabin panel blowout earlier this month.
The FAA had previously stated that 40 out of 171 grounded planes needed re-inspection following an incident on an eight-week-old Alaska Air Group Inc (NYSE:ALK) jet.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL), the two U.S. carriers operating the aircraft, have completed the required inspections but have had to cancel thousands of flights this month.
Both airlines announced the cancellation of all MAX 9 flights through Friday.
Boeing’s CEO and supplier Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc (NYSE:SPR), responsible for the panel, held a meeting with employees in Kansas.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety ...