Boeing Max 9 blowout puts renewed spotlight on safety issues at airplane giant

The longer-term effects on Boeing and for airlines such as Ryanair, which has placed one of the world's largest orders for the Max 10 planes, are still unknown

An Alaska Airlines Boeing Max 9 flies above Paine Field near Boeing's manufacturing facility in Washington.

Regulators have grounded 171 Boeing Max 9 planes around the world, including all Max 9s in the US, after a panel was ripped from an Alaska Airlines Max 9 flying at 16,000ft after taking off from Portland in Oregon. 

Nobody was seriously injured in the incident but the near-tragic event marks just the latest setback for Boeing.   

The grounding of the Max 9s may have limited fallout for airlines operating the planes around the world because the checks may take a matter of hours rather than days, but the longer-term effects on Boeing and for airlines such as Ryanair, which has placed massive contracts with the US airline for other planes in the Max series, including the Max 10, are still unknown.

Ryanair has placed one of the world's largest orders for the Max 10 planes, of which the airline hopes to take delivery in the coming years to drive expansion, revenues, and profits. In May, it said it had ordered 300 new Max 10 planes worth over $40bn (€36.4bn). 

The deal includes a firm commitment for 150 of the planes and an option for 150 more, with the first planes due for delivery from 2027. 

The delivery date may appear to be a long time in the future, but Boeing has struggled to recover since a Lion Air Max plane crashed in Indonesia in 2018, killing all 189 people on board. The following year, the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Max killed all 157 people.  

The incident involving the Alaska Airlines Max 9 in recent days will raise fresh alarm among regulators about safety processes at Boeing.  

Ryanair had not responded by late Sunday to questions from the Irish Examiner over whether it had been in contact with Boeing since the Portland incident over any implications for its Max 10 orders. 

Ryanair partnership

Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun had said in May that its partnership with Ryanair was “one of the most productive in commercial aviation history”.

Aviation consultancy IBA said on Sunday it did not expect a major crisis for Boeing from the blowout of the panel on the Max 9 plane, but that the reputation of the manufacturer was likely further tarnished nonetheless. 

"It is likely that the grounded aircraft will return to service in the coming days and weeks as the affected fleet of Max 9s are examined and cleared for service," IBA said. 

However, this event draws further attention and scrutiny on Boeing, as it comes after a series of issues around quality control at the aircraft manufacturer and its suppliers."

The reference to Boeing supplies is significant. In just months, Boeing has suffered a series of quality lapses that threaten to erode trust in the manufacturing prowess of the biggest US exporter. And now Boeing’s fraught relationship with its biggest supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, stands to face fresh scrutiny following the Alaska Airlines incident.  

“I would hope that they will quickly get to the bottom of this and see if it was truly a one-off,” said Richard Healing, a former National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB] member, who now heads consulting firm Air Safety Engineering. 

“If it was just that airplane, there may have been poor workmanship done when they locked off that door. I would be looking at everything you can imagine.”  

The NTSB, which arrived on the scene in Portland within hours of the incident, will examine Boeing’s manufacturing process for the Max 9 as it investigates what may have led to the panel’s blowout. 

Boeing’s former Wichita, Kansas-based subsidiary builds about 70% of the 737’s frameset, according to Spirit’s website. The green aluminum fuselages are shipped by rail to Boeing’s Renton, Washington, factory, where wings, tails, and interiors are installed. 

Investigators will likely look into how the doors are plugged and even question why they exist if they can come open, Mr Healing said. 

The hinged section is secured by four bolts and opens outward from the top, according to Chris Brady, a former head of the UK Flight Safety Committee. “Something must have been amiss with at least one of those bolts,” he said on a video posted to YouTube.

Spirit has struggled with quality issues, high worker turnover, labour strife, and financial stress since the pandemic and the 2019 Max grounding.

• Additional reporting Bloomberg