© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: United Airlines planes, including a Boeing 737 MAX 9 model, are pictured at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, U.S., March 18, 2019. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo BA -1.41% Add to/Remove from Watchlist Add to Watchlist Add Position
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(Reuters) -The latest setback for Boeing (NYSE:BA)'s top-selling 737 MAX aircraft occurred on Friday when a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines plane forcing its pilots to make an emergency landing.
U.S. regulators have ordered a temporary grounding for safety checks on 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets installed with the same panel, while investigations and safety checks take place.
There are about 215 737 MAX 9 jets in service globally in total, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Carriers offering denser seating configurations have an exit door at that position instead of the panel and are not affected by the grounding order.
Here's what regulators and airlines are doing as a result of the latest incident:
AIRLINES WITH THE AFFECTED PANEL:
ALASKA AIRLINES
The airline grounded all 65 of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes.
It said on Monday that initial reports from its technicians indicated some "loose hardware" was visible on some aircraft in the relevant area when it conducted checks of its fleet.
Alaska Airlines has cancelled hundreds of flights since the incident. That included 109 flights, or 18% of its schedule on Tuesday. Similar cancellations were expected on Wednesday.
UNITED AIRLINES
The only other U.S. airline that operates the jets has suspended service on all 79 of its 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
The carrier said on Monday that its preliminary checks found bolts that needed tightening on several panels.
United cancelled 225 flights, or 8% of its total schedule on Tuesday. Similar cancellations were expected on Wednesday.
COPA AIRLINES
The Panamanian carrier said on Tuesday that 21 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes remained grounded while the authorities and the manufacturer defined the inspection instructions necessary for their safe and reliable evaluation and return to operation.
TURKISH AIRLINES
The airline said on Sunday it had withdrawn five 737 MAX 9 aircraft from service for inspection.
AEROMEXICO
The airline said on Sunday it had grounded 19 affected 737 MAX 9 jets for inspection.
AIRLINES THAT LACK THE AFFECTED PANEL:
FLYDUBAI
The airline said on Sunday that its three Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes were not affected. It operates the aircraft with a deactivated mid-aft exit door configuration, which is not affected by the directive.
AIR TANZANIA
Air Tanzania has one 737 MAX, 9 but its CEO told Reuters on Sunday that Boeing had told the airline that its aircraft was not of the type that needed to be inspected.
CORENDON DUTCH AIRLINES
Corendon Dutch said on Monday it has two 737 MAX 9, but the airline uses the extra seating capacity and therefore the extra door, so the plane does not require inspection.
ICELANDAIR
Icelandair said on Monday it was not affected by the FAA grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
"It has been confirmed that the issue is related to equipment that is not a part of Icelandair's Boeing 737 MAX 9 configuration," said a spokesperson for the airline, which operates four of the aircraft.
REGULATORS:
U.S. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA)
The FAA issued a directive on Saturday temporarily grounding certain 737 MAX 9 planes.
The FAA said on Tuesday that Boeing was revising its instructions for inspections and maintenance, which the regulator must still approve before checks can begin.
The FAA said it "will conduct a thorough review" and public safety will determine the timeline for returning the MAX to service.
U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB)
The independent U.S. agency has opened an investigation into the Alaska Airlines incident.
The NTSB said the plane's cockpit voice recorder was overwritten, renewing its long-standing safety calls for longer in-flight recordings.
BRAZIL
Brazil's aviation regulator ANAC said on Sunday the FAA ruling automatically applies to all flights in Brazil.
In Brazil, only Copa Airlines operates the plane, it said.
CHINA
China's regulator has sought details on the incident, a person familiar with the matter said on Saturday. Bloomberg reported earlier that China, the first country to ground MAX flights in 2019, was considering whether to take action.
Chinese airlines have not yet resumed delivery of any MAX models and analysts said the Alaska Airlines incident had the potential to cause further delays.
EUROPEAN UNION
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) adopted the FAA directive, but noted no EU member state airlines operate aircraft with the affected configuration.
INDIA
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Monday that one-time inspections it had ordered of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft had been performed satisfactorily. None of the country's airlines fly the 737 MAX 9 model.
INDONESIA
grounded three Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes operated by Lion Air on Saturday, a transport ministry spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the planes had different configurations from the Alaska Airlines plane.
The ministry will coordinate with the FAA, Boeing and Lion Air to monitor the situation, adding that "operational safety will be our priority".
UK
The UK Civil Aviation Authority said on Saturday there are no UK-registered planes affected. It will require any 737 MAX 9 operators entering its airspace to comply with the FAA directive.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The civil aviation said on Sunday that none of its national carriers have planes affected by the order.
TURKEY
Turkey's Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Monday noted the FAA's actions and said it was coordinating with stakeholders regarding affected aircraft belonging to airlines in Turkey and those using Turkish airspace.
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea's transport ministry on Sunday asked five airlines to inspect their 14 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. On Tuesday, the ministry said no problems had been detected.
Factbox-What airlines, regulators are doing about Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets 2
