Where Boeing's 737 Max 9 Is in Operation

On Friday January 5, the 'door plug', replacing a possible extra exit in the fuselage of a Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines, was ripped off shortly after take-off. The aircraft was supposed to be flying from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario airport, on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Luckily, there were no casualties and the plane made a successful emergency landing.

A few days later, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the latter of which operates the world's largest fleet of the aircraft, announced that they had discovered loose bolts on several of their planes of the same model. These issues add to a growing list of damaging incidents and issues for the American manufacturer. Of particular significance, accidents in October 2018 in Indonesia and March 2019 in Ethiopia, caused by a faulty in-flight stabilization system, resulted in the deaths of almost 350 people. The two aircraft in question were Boeing 737 Max, albeit the Max 8 variant.

As this infographic shows, alongside Alaska and United, 7 other airlines are currently known to operate the 737 Max 9, with over 200 aircraft in operation as of January 2024 according to the travel industry news site, Skift.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an 'Emergency Airworthiness Directive' for all owners and operators of 737 Max 9 aircraft on January 6. In response, Boeing stated in a press release: "Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers. We agree with and fully support the FAA's decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane".