DUBAI (ALETIHAD)

Dubai’s low-cost carrier flydubai on Sunday said its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft are safe to fly and would not be affected by the US aviation regulator’s decision to ground all models after an incident aboard Alaska Airlines on Friday.
flydubai operates three 737 Max 9s, and the spokesperson said the carrier’s planes are of a different configuration from the version flown by Alaska Airlines.

“Following The Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on January 6, 2024, we can confirm that the three Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft in our fleet are not affected," a flydubai spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that "flydubai operates Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft with a deactivated mid-aft exit door configuration, which is not referenced in the directive”.

The FAA ordered the 737 Max 9 grounded pending inspection after an incident on an Alaska Airlines flight saw the aircraft’s rear mid-cabin exit door assembly detach shortly after take-off en route from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.

Passengers reported hearing a loud bang and found a part of the fuselage ripped off mid-air.

The plane had reached an altitude of 16,325 feet, but returned to Portland after some tense minutes, aircraft tracking site flightradar24.com said. All 171 passengers and six crew were unharmed, and the aircraft landed safely.

Alaska Airlines said that it would ground 65 aircraft of the same configuration until the enquiry is complete. There are 171 of the planes in operation in the US, with United and Alaska being the main operators.

In its latest statement after the incident, Alaska Airlines said: “The investigation into what happened on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Friday, January 5, is underway. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has now assumed the lead role in the investigation. Alaska’s safety and technical teams, along with representatives from Boeing, are closely involved in supporting the NTSB."   

Meanwhile, a Boeing spokesperson said that the aircraft manufacturer agrees with and fully supports the FAA’s decision to require “immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane”.