Alaska Airlines has sold the Boeing 737 Max 9 involved in the 5 January Alaska flight 1282 door-plug blow out back to Boeing for an undisclosed amount.
Both companies confirmed the deal on 11 July, with Alaska adding that it placed an order for a 737 Max 10 – a type that has yet to be certificated – to replace the returned jet.
Alaska has “entered into a purchase agreement with Boeing for aircraft N704AL… They have taken possession of it and the registration has been changed”, the carrier says. “It is no longer part of our fleet.”
Boeing confirms is has “reached an agreement with Alaska Airlines to purchase the airplane” but provides no further details.
On 5 January, the 737 Max 9 in question – operating as flight 1282 from Portland to Southern California – experienced a rapid de-pressurisation due to the door plug blowing out. It fell to the ground.
The event proved seismic for Alaska and Boeing alike, with Alaska grounding its sizeable fleet of Max 9 jets for more than a month, taking a significant financial hit in the first quarter as a result.
An ensuing investigation revealed that Boeing workers removed the Max 9’s door plug during assembly to allow workers from fuselage supplier Spirit AeroSystems to fix a riveting issue. Boeing employees replaced the plug but failed to bolt it in place.
The Federal Aviation Administration has since increased oversight of Boeing 737 production facilities, with the Arlington, Virginia-based airframer significantly slowing its monthly 737 production rates.
Boeing recently presented the FAA with a “roadmap for continuous improvement” detailing how it plans to remedy its ailing production lines.
On 8 July, Boeing revealed it intends to plead guilty to criminal charges it defrauded the FAA, after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) determined that the airframer breached a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement related to the certification of the 737 Max.
Critics say the company’s plea deal with the DOJ imposes an insignifcant fine on Boeing and does not mandate the major leadership change that some consider necessary to remedy production and cultural problems.
