Alaska Airlines Grounds Boeing MAX-9 Fleet After 'Window' Blows Out Mid-Air

Alaska Airlines has grounded its entire fleet of Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft after a section of fuselage broke off mid-flight.

Alaska Airlines flight 1282, bound for Ontario, California, successfully made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport after the section of the plane separated from the aircraft body shortly after take off.

The plane took off from 5:06 p.m. local time on Friday, reaching an altitude of 16,325 feet. It landed safely at 5:26 p.m. No injuries of passengers and crew onboard have been reported so far.

Images and videos posted online show a rectangular section of the plane broken off, exposing the night sky and insulation material around the damaged area. People can also be seen sitting close to where the incident happened, although the seats directly next to the gap appear to be empty.

It is unclear at this stage whether the part of the fuselage that broke off is a window section or mid-cabin emergency door. Newsweek is working to verify this information.

Boeing has confirmed it is aware of the incident and is "working to gather more information," according to the BBC.

In a statement, Alaska Airlines' CEO Ben Minicucci said: "Following tonight's event on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft. Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections." Minicucci added thatinvestigations in the incident are expected to be complete within "the next few days".

He also apologized to passengers on board and thanked the pilots and flight attendants.

The aircraft bore a registration number of N704AL and was delivered to Alaska Airlines in October 2023, according to FlightRadar24. It had completed 145 flights since entering commercial service on November 11, 2023.

Boeing MAX aircrafts have faced significant scrutiny before following two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. Worldwide, all 737 MAX aircrafts were grounded in March 2019 for a year and a half after an issues with the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) lead the two flights to go into automated nosedives.

The planes underwent significant modifications before being returned to service in December 2020.

Will Other Flights Be Affected?

Alaska Airlines has issued a statement via X, formerly Twitter, regarding flight cancellations due to the 65 MAX aircrafts being grounded. The airline hasn't publicly specified which flights are affected.

The statement reads: "Guests whose flight have been impacted are being notified with guidance on next steps and are also encouraged to visit alaskaair.com for self service options."

Correction 01/08/23, 08:22 a.m ET: This article was updated to clarify that the flight was destined for Ontario, California, and not Ontario, Canada.