Last Friday, 5th January, saw a horrifying mid-flight blowout in Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9s. Thankfully, while there have been no casualties or accidents, it was a rather frightening experience for the passengers. Now, amid all the inspections and public outrage, the Boeing CEO, Dave Calhoun has come forward to accept responsibility for the incident. He also promised a fair and transparent inspection of the entire mid-air drama.
Boeing CEO Accepts Responsibility Over The Unfortunate Incident
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) January 6, 2024
While Boeing issued a statement on the company’s X (formerly Twitter) account, its CEO also came forward to issue a public acceptance of the mistake. In his statement, he said, “We’re going to approach this number one acknowledging our mistake,” This was followed by his emphasis on Boeing’s commitment to ensure safety and approaching every step forward with 100% transparency.
JUST IN: Alaska Airlines confirms to me that "nobody was assigned to sit" near the spot where the hole opened in the side of flight 1282, and "nobody was moved."
Alaska will not say if seats in row 26 were empty because pax missed the flight, which would have been amazing luck. pic.twitter.com/tlilJigEnd
— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) January 7, 2024
He further commended Alaska Airlines’ swift response by safely landing the plane after the mid-air blowout. Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9s panel was blown away as the flight took off from Portland, Oregon. The blown-off panel was actually a door plug that is usually used to fill an unneeded emergency exit in planes.
Also Read: Boeing 787 Becomes 1st Ever Boeing To Land On Antarctica’s Ice Runway; Dreamy Pics Inside!
Alaska Airlines’ Stand And Further Course Of Action
For the very latest, including information on the systemwide travel waiver currently in place, visit: https://t.co/EWhHuhqMtG pic.twitter.com/DztwoSLXPK
— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) January 9, 2024
In its initial response, Alaska Airlines apologised to all their guests and provided rebooking options as well as refunds for their air ticket prices. After public outrage, they issued a strongly worded statement on their X (formerly Twitter) account.
We deeply apologize to our guests whose flights have been impacted. Guests with impacted travel can go online to view flight options and rebook travel, place the value of their ticket in their Mileage Plan Wallet for future use, or request a refund. https://t.co/iXP9ZSs9g4
— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) January 6, 2024
As per the latest news, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has decided to ground 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes. These planes have the same configurations as the ones involved in the accident. This move has led to numerous flight cancellations. Alaska Airlines apologised for the same and ensured that none of these planes would return for services before a thorough inspection that meets FAA standards.
We hope for a fair inspection of this whole ordeal so that no such horrifying accidents happen in the air!
Cover Image Courtesy: X/@Kyrinker & Wikimedia
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First Published: January 10, 2024 5:54 PM