Alaska Airlines grounds Boeing 737-9 aircraft after window blown out in mid-air

Alaska Airlines planes (Picture: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Alaska Airlines has grounded all its Boeing 737-9 aircraft, hours after a window and a piece of fuselage on one plane blew out in mid-air, forcing an emergency landing in Oregon.

The incident occurred shortly after take-off from Portland and the gaping hole caused the cabin to depressurise.