Alaska Air Group announced on Thursday that Boeing has made a one-time payment totaling over $160 million in the first quarter to make up for the financial loss the airline suffered when their 737 MAX 9 aircrafts were temporarily grounded.
According to a filing from Alaska, the amount is equal to the lost revenues from the accident and grounding in Q1, and the state also said that it anticipates receiving extra compensation.
Following a mid-air cabin panel blowout on an Alaska Air MAX 9 aircraft in January, the US aviation regulator ordered the grounding of 171 aircraft for inspections. Later that month, the grounding was lifted.
The FAA has temporarily grounded almost all Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets in response to a near-catastrophic failure on an Alaskan Airlines flight on Friday night
An anonymous whistleblower claimed Boeing is at fault for the fuselage panel that blew off an Alaska Airlines jet because it was removed for repair then reinstalled improperly at its Washington factory
On January 5 an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 took off from Portland, Oregon bound for California was forced to make a harrowing emergency landing when the door plug blew out at 16,000 feet
The lower section of a door plug is seen in an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft awaiting inspection. The whistleblower said the four bolts that would have prevented the door from falling off were not reinstalled properly
The whistleblower claimed the work of the mechanics on the Alaska jet should have been inspected but was not because of a process failure and the use of two separate systems to record what work was done. Pictured the lower section of the door plug
If true, that would make Boeing primarily responsible for the accident, rather than its supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which originally installed the panel to the jet in Wichita, Kansas
Boeing has announced a one day ‘Quality Stand Down’ pause at the Renton factory to evaluate ways to improve production amid safety concerns