According to CCTV News on 7 February, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary investigation report on the Alaska Airlines flight accident in January on 6 February local time, Reuters reported. According to the preliminary investigation, the Boeing 737 MAX 9, which was on flight duty at the time, was missing four critical bolts from the emergency hatch that came off in mid-air.
At this time, the National Transportation Safety Board has not yet stated what caused the accidental aircraft hatch to dislodge.
On 5 January, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 was involved in an in-flight incident in which an emergency hatch dislodged. Investigators examined it and found that four bolts that were supposed to hold the door plug in place were missing. The United States Federal Aviation Administration later ordered a temporary grounding of the aircraft. Both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have recently expressed disappointment with the quality of Boeing’s aircraft, or will consider other aircraft purchase options in the future.
According to CCTV news, the U.S. “Wall Street Journal” local time on 29 January reported that on January 5, Alaska Airlines accident Boeing passenger aircraft in the factory its emergency hatch may be missing fixed bolts.
According to the report, Boeing insiders believe that workers on the company’s production line may not have put back the bolts when they opened or removed the plane’s emergency hatch and then reinstalled it. That’s because the plane’s hatch in question had no markings related to bolt installation. People familiar with the matter also noted that Boeing’s Renton, Washington, plant was negligent in its paperwork and processes related to the hatch in question.
According to CCTV News, on 5 February local time, the US Federal Aviation Administration said that nearly 94% of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft at Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have been inspected and are eligible to resume operations, Reuters reported.
The FAA said 78 of United Airlines’ 79 MAX 9 aircraft have been inspected and returned to service; 57 of Alaska Airlines’ 65 MAX 9 aircraft have been inspected and returned to service.
Boeing USA’s fourth quarter 2023 earnings report released on 31 January showed that the company’s revenue and aircraft deliveries increased year-on-year, but the quarter’s net loss was US$30 million, and the full-year net loss was about US$2.242 billion.
The earnings report showed that Boeing’s revenue in the fourth quarter of last year was $22.018 billion, up 10 per cent year-on-year. Among them, Civil Aircraft Group revenue was $10.481 billion, up 13 per cent year-on-year, while Global Services Group revenue was $4.849 billion, up 6 per cent year-on-year. In addition, Boeing’s full-year 2023 revenues of $77.794 billion and 528 civil aircraft deliveries were up 17 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.
Dave Calhoun, Boeing’s president and CEO, said the company is focused on taking comprehensive actions to improve quality, including listening to the 737 model production workforce and working transparently with regulators to ensure that all tasks are completed to gain shareholder confidence.
By the close of trading on 6 February local time, Boeing (BA) was trading at $208.52, up 0.91%, with a market capitalisation of $127.23 billion.
