The U.S. Civil Aviation Authority (FAA) has ordered that all Boeing 737-Max-9s operated by local carriers or flying in U.S. airspace must undergo extraordinary inspections. Specifically, this means a temporary ban on flights.

According to the FAA, this airworthiness directive affects approximately 171 Boeing 737-Max-9s worldwide. “The FAA is requiring immediate inspection of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9s before they can return to service,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. “Safety will continue to guide our decision-making as we continue the NTSB’s investigation to assist Alaska Airlines Flight 1282".

The authority has issued a so-called Emergency Airworthiness Directive. This obliges operators of Boeing 737-Max-9s to carry out inspections before the next departure. If the steps and cycles specified in the emergency airworthiness directive are not carried out, the type is banned from flying. The required inspections will take approximately four to eight hours per aircraft.

The FAA is reacting exceptionally quickly to the recent Boeing 737 Max incident. A plane of this type operated by Alaska Airlines lost a complete emergency exit panel during the climb for reasons that are still unclear. Based on available photos and videos, there seems to be at least a not unfounded suspicion that another quality defect may have come to light.

In contrast to the fatal crashes of the Boeing 737-Max-8 operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, the latest incident was mild. The pilots successfully made the emergency landing and all passengers and crew members were able to leave the B737-Max-9. At the time of the two total losses, the FAA was in the crossfire of criticism for not reacting quickly enough. Ultimately, the second crash took place a worldwide flight ban.

It is currently impossible to estimate what impact the incident at Alaska Airlines will have on production, especially deliveries to airlines and lessors. Purely theoretically, possible decisions could also affect the Max-7 and Max-10 models that have not yet been certified. The NTSB's findings, which are expected to be available in the next few days, will most likely influence the FAA's decisions accordingly.