Alaska Airlines completes inspections on first group of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft

Alaska Airlines said it has completed inspections on the first group of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, clearing the carrier to put the MAX 9 back in service after an in-flight cabin blowout earlier this month.

The carrier was due to resume MAX 9 operations on Friday, starting from Seattle to San Diego. It had begun inspections of its first MAX 9s on Wednesday night, after the Federal Aviation Administration approved inspection criteria. Alaska and United Airlines fly the MAX 9, have canceled thousands of flights since the 6th of January grounding of 171 MAX 9s.