Loose bolts found in many boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, says Alaska Air CEO

By Mary Schlangenstein

Alaska Air Group Inc. found loose bolts on “many” of its Boeing Co. 737 Max 9 aircraft following the midair blowout of a panel on one of its planes earlier this month, the carrier’s chief executive officer said in an interview with NBC.

The accident has prompted some “very tough, candid conversations” with Boeing about the planemaker’s operations, Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci told NBC in the interview, which aired late Tuesday.

 “I am angry. I’m more than frustrated and disappointed,” he said. “My demand on Boeing is what are they going to do to improve their quality programs in-house?”

US safety regulators ordered all Max 9 planes grounded following the Jan. 5 incident, which left a gaping hole in the side of a jet and forced an emergency landing. No one was seriously injured. Minicucci said there was a “guardian angel” on the flight. 

Manufacturing quality at Boeing is facing deep scrutiny from regulators, customers and the planemaker itself in the wake of the blowout. While Alaska and United Airlines Holdings Inc., another large operator of the Max model, have performed inspections on some of the aircraft, they’re awaiting final specifications from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing before the planes can fly again.

“Boeing is better than this,” Minicucci said. “Flight 1282 should never have happened.”

‘Deeply Sorry’
 

Minicucci’s comments come after Bloomberg reported that United CEO Scott Kirby has vented his frustrations with Boeing’s management to colleagues and voiced concerns over the handling of the grounding.

Boeing is “deeply sorry for the significant disruption” to airline customers, employees and passengers, the planemaker said in a statement. “We are taking action on a comprehensive plan to bring these airplanes safely back to service and to improve our quality and delivery performance.”

Inspections are taking about 10 hours per door, Minicucci said. Once the FAA issues final guidance, it will take several days to complete the inspections and begin flying the planes, he said. Boeing also said it will help Max 9 operators address any findings during the checks. 

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun is set to meet with senators in Washington, D.C., this week, according to people familiar with the meetings. The sessions are set for Wednesday and Thursday.