737 Max 9 groundings to affect cargo

In a move expected to cause cargo delays this week, the FAA has grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft following a mishap on an Alaska Airlines flight on Jan. 5. [caption id="attachment_99215" align="alignright" width="300"] Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900ER photographed May 24-25, 2016 by Chad Slattery across California. (Courtesy/Alaska Airlines)[/caption] Alaska Airlines flight No. 1282 had taken off from Portland International Airport (PDX) just after 5 p.m. when a door partially blew off minutes later, forcing the crew to return to the airport immediately. No passengers were seriously injured, according to the airline. Alaska Airlines has 65 B737 Max 9 aircraft, one-fifth of its total fleet, an Alaska spokesperson told Air Cargo Next . “We are identifying necessary cancellations and expect disruptions to last through at least midweek,” the spokesperson said. “For shipments impacted by a flight cancellation, cargo will be automatically rebooked for the next available flight.” Grounding Max 9 flights The FAA has suspended B737 Max 9 flights in the United States as well as those flying into U.S. territories. There are 215 B737 Max 9s in operation globally, according to flight and data analytics provider Cirium . “ The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 Max 9 planes before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a release. “Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the [ National Transportation Security Board ’s] investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.” Alaska had canceled 140 flights as of today while awaiting further inspection from the FAA. The FAA must approve operators’ inspection processes to ensure compliance (called an alternate means of compliance, or AMOC), according to Alaska. Also, Alaska must develop detailed inspection instructions and processes for its maintenance technicians to follow. It will take between four and eight hours to inspect each affected plane, according to the FAA. Other carriers affected The FAA mandate also grounded United Airline ’s 79 B737 Max 9 aircraft, causing the carrier to cancel 90 flights and rearrange others, a United spokesperson told Air Cargo Next . “ Service on United’s Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft remains temporarily suspended while it conducts inspections required by the FAA,” the spokesperson said. “We’re continuing to work with the FAA to clarify the inspection process and requirements for returning all Max 9 aircraft to service. We are working with customers to re-accommodate them on other flights and in some cases have been able to avoid cancellations by switching to other aircraft types.” United Airlines landed at No. 19 on Air Cargo Next ’s Freight 50 list of top airlines. Aeromexico , Icelandair and Turkish Airlines also fly the 737 Max 9 aircraft. Aeromexico released a travel alert saying there may be some temporary cancellations due to limitations of its operational fleet — which includes 19 B737 Max 9s, a spokesperson told Air Cargo Next. The B737 Max 9 aircraft earned its FAA certification in March 2017. Although it is used solely as a passenger aircraft, this service interruption will affect belly cargo as well. The manufacturing giant grounded its fleet of B 737 Max 8 aircraft in 2019 following two deadly crashes of Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air. Alaska said that it would update its travel alerts throughout the week as inspections of the 737 Max 9 aircraft continue.

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