CLEVELAND — Airports across the country, including Cleveland Hopkins, are seeing flights get delayed or cancelled following the FAA's decision to ground all Boeing 737 Max 9 Planes.
As of Tuesday morning at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, nearly 10 flights, including arrivals and departures have been cancelled for Tuesday and Wednesday. All of the impacted flights at Hopkins are United Airlines routes, one of the biggest operators of the Boeing 737 Max 9 Planes.
The decision to ground all of the planes for inspection comes after a door plug panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday. No one was seriously injured on the California-bound plane, but it was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a press conference overnight to address the question at hand, 'Is this an isolated incident or a much bigger problem?' Officials provided a detailed account of what happened as the door plug blew out and assured travelers that the investigation has begun and that safety is the number one priority.
The NTSB also announced that the door plug that was blown from the plane has been found and recovered. The paneling will be sent to a lab in Washington, D.C, for additional inspection. According to United Airlines, the inspections require a crew of five technicians working for several hour on each aircraft.
On Monday, United Airlines reported finding loose bolts while inspecting it’s fleet of MAX 9 door plugs.
While the investigation is underway, the results could take weeks or even months.
Previous Reporting:
- Oregon teacher finds missing piece from Alaska Airlines plane in yard: 'That wasn't there before'
- United Airlines found loose bolts, other issues on a key part of grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners
- Alaska Airlines flight forced to make emergency landing at Portland airport after panel on side of plane blows out