DUBAI (ALETIHAD)
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Sunday confirmed that none of the national airlines in the UAE are operating any of the Boeing 737- MAX 9 aircraft affected by the technical malfunction that occurred on a Boeing 737- MAX 9 plane operated by an American company on January 6.
This came in a GCAA statement on Sunday in response to Saturday's incident, as a result of which the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decided to ground dozens of Boeing 737 Max 9s until the necessary inspections have been carried out.
The GCAA explained that the records related to the aforementioned aircraft model have been checked as well as the FAA's announcements and directives in this regard, pointing out that it is continuously following up on all updates.
Details about Saturday's incident
This came after a 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.
Flydubai issues statement
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.
“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," their spokesperson said.