KUALA LUMPUR – Indonesia’s Transport Ministry has lifted the grounding of three Boeing 737 Max 9 planes belonging to Lion Air, allowing them to fly again.
This is because the three planes have different configurations from the Alaska Airlines jet whose door plug blew out mid-flight on January 5, leaving passengers exposed.
The plane turned back and landed safely in Portland, Oregon with all 171 passengers and six crew on board.
The grounding of the Boeing model in Indonesia was implemented on January 6 and the order was lifted on January 11.
Lion Air’s 737 Max 9 is fitted with a “mid cabin emergency exit door type II” whereas the Alaska Airlines plane had a “mid exit door plug”.
Meanwhile, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed yesterday that the door plug of the Boeing 737 Max 9 that blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight was made in Malaysia.
Spirit AeroSystems had the door plug made in Malaysia and from there, the part was transported to the Boeing supplier factory in Wichita, Kansas, where it was then transported by train to the 737 factory in Renton, Washington.
NTSB would further investigate the door plug’s production, transport, installation and entry into service,
After the Alaska Airlines incident, the model is still grounded in the US by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), affecting 171 planes
The FAA is also investigating Boeing’s manufacturing practices and production lines, including those involving subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems. – January 19, 2024