FAA Grounds Boeing 737 MAX 9 After Alaska Airlines Plane Panel Detaches Midair

(RTTNews) - Alaska Airlines cancelled 170 flights on Sunday and another 60 on Monday after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the grounding of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes for inspections.

FAA ordered inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft just a day after a piece of the aircraft blew out in the middle of an Alaska Airlines flight.

Images and video of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 that were shared on social media showed a hole on the side of the plane and passengers using oxygen masks before it returned to Portland shortly after taking off for Ontario, California, on Friday afternoon.

"We are aware of the incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. We are working to gather more information and are in contact with our airline customer. A Boeing technical team stands ready to support the investigation," Boeing said in a statement following the incident.

No serious injuries were reported on the flight, according to federal safety officials. There were 171 passengers and six crewmembers on board, Alaska Air said.

"Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB's investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement.

Sunday cancelations affected roughly 25,000 guests, Alaska Airlines said. The company expects additional significant cancellations through the first half of the week.

"We are awaiting further instruction from both the FAA and Boeing to begin the required inspections on the door plug of our 737-9 MAX fleet and will share information as we're able," the airlines said.