Recently, Boeing's crisis has deepened. On Tuesday, American airlines United Airlines and Alaska Airlines said they had found loose parts on several grounded MAX 9 planes, raising new concerns among industry experts about how the best-selling aircraft series was manufactured. This problem has put the aircraft industry in crisis.
According to British media on January 9, U.S. regulators grounded 171 MAX 9 planes shortly after an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland to Oregon took off after a panel was blown off.
Subsequently, Alaska Airlines said initial reports from their technicians showed that some "loose hardware" was found during an inspection of the fleet. United Airlines also found bolts that needed to be tightened during the initial inspection.
These disclosures have raised concerns about the MAX 9 aircraft manufacturing process. It is understood that United Airlines has found almost 10 planes with loose bolts, which is higher than initially estimated and may increase.
Specific inspection guidelines are still being discussed between Boeing, the FAA and airlines. Boeing expects to make changes to the guidelines previously submitted to airlines, and the FAA will approve the changes before airlines can begin repair work.
The issue may have further heightened passenger concerns about the aircraft's safety. While only a handful of airlines use the MAX 9, some passengers have already begun to raise concerns. This could put more pressure on Boeing. Since March 2019, when the 737 MAX family of aircraft was fully grounded due to two fatal accidents, Boeing has been suffering from multiple production issues.
Although investigators said they could not determine the cause, experts believe it was a quality control issue that not only affected the entire fleet, but also dealt a serious blow to Boeing's reputation. Boeing's stock price rose 8% after the announcement.
At present, airlines have begun to cancel flights, and according to the latest news, airlines with MAX 9 aircraft, such as Delta Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, and Aeromexico, have also said that they have grounded related aircraft.
Industry experts say the issue could have a long-term impact on the aircraft family and have serious implications for Boeing's prospects in this area. Restoring consumer confidence will be a huge task for Boeing.
In response, Boeing said it would maintain close contact with MAX 9 operators and help deal with the problems identified during the inspection. In any case, Boeing's crisis continues.