Lion Air Grounds Boeing 737-9s Following Alaska Airlines Incident

Indonesia’s Lion Air has taken the precautionary measure of grounding its three Boeing 737-9 aircraft following a recent incident involving an Alaska Airlines 737-9. This decision was made after the Alaska Airlines plane experienced the separation of its left-hand rear mid-cabin plugged exit door during a flight.

The Indonesian transport ministry promptly announced the grounding of Lion Air’s planes as reported by Reuters. This action was taken despite the differing configurations between Lion Air’s aircraft and the Alaska Airlines plane involved in the incident. Adita Irawati, a spokesperson for the transport ministry, noted that Lion Air’s jets have a “mid-cabin emergency exit door type II,” contrasting with the “mid-exit door plug” on the Alaska Airlines aircraft.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had earlier ordered the temporary grounding of certain B737-9 aircraft operated by US airlines or within US airspace. Following this directive, the FAA also approved a compliance method to address this emergency airworthiness directive, which has been provided to the affected operators.

The FAA specified that the affected aircraft models will remain grounded until operators complete enhanced inspections, which include checking both left and right cabin door exit plugs, door components, and fasteners. Loose bolts have reportedly been found on several aircraft by US operators.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, there are 218 Boeing 737-9s delivered worldwide to 14 customers. Following the Alaska Airlines incident, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation instructed local carriers to conduct comprehensive inspections of their MAX fleets, even though no Indian airline currently operates the B737-9 variant. Subsequent checks on all MAX aircraft in India revealed no issues, and they were cleared for service.

Similarly, South Korea’s ministry of transport ordered inspections of the 14 MAX aircraft operated by five airlines in the country. These inspections found no defects, and the aircraft were cleared on January 9.

In China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) held an emergency meeting to consider grounding all MAX series aircraft in the country, following the recent incident and the country’s recent decision to allow Chinese airlines to resume flying the aircraft family in January 2023 after a three-year grounding.

This proactive response by Lion Air and the regulatory bodies highlights the aviation industry’s continued vigilance and commitment to safety, especially regarding the Boeing 737 MAX series, which has faced scrutiny and grounding in the past.