On Sunday, Turkish Airlines stated that it would halt five Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets in its fleet for inspections after a panel burst out of one of the planes in midair in the United States, requiring an emergency landing.
Following the Alaska Airlines scare over Oregon on Friday, the US Federal Aviation Administration ordered immediate inspections of approximately 171 of the world’s jets.
A sealed-over door panel had opened and fallen off mid-flight, causing the cabin to lose pressure.
In a statement, the airline stated, “In light of the incident with the Boeing 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines, five Boeing 737 MAX 9 in the Turkish Airlines fleet have been recalled for checks as a security precaution”.
“They will be grounded where they are to land”, the airline added.
Alaska and United Airlines, which operate the world’s largest fleet of 737 MAX 9s, have also grounded their planes for inspection, resulting in dozens of flight cancellations.
Aeromexico and Copa Airlines in Panama also said they have grounded the planes affected by the FAA direction, but Icelandair claimed none of its 737 MAX 9s had the jet configuration described in the FAA order.
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