MAX 9s Stay Grounded As Boeing Revises Inspection Requirements

Boeing 737 MAX 9s will remain out of service longer than initially thought while Boeing rethinks inspection requirements for the 171 aircraft in service. The FAA has ordered Boeing to revise inspection directions for Boeing 737 MAX 9 optional emergency exit plugs after it got "feedback" on the first set of instructions. "The safety of the flying public, not speed, will determine the timeline for returning the Boeing 737-9 Max to service," the agency said in an X post accompanying the following statement:

"Every Boeing 737-9 Max with a plug door will remain grounded until the FAA finds each can safely return to operation. To begin this process, Boeing must provide instructions to operators for inspections and maintenance. Boeing offered an initial version of instructions [Jan. 8] which they are now revising because of feedback received in response. Upon receiving the revised version of instructions from Boeing the FAA will conduct a thorough review."

Meanwhile Boeing held a company-wide safety meeting Jan. 9 in which an emotional CEO David Calhoun urged employees to double down on safety. "These things matter," he said. Calhoun also pledged full cooperation with authorities and to apologize for whatever missteps the company may have made.