Alaska Air CEO Says Loose Bolts Found in 'Many' Boeing Jets

Alaska Air Group found loose bolts on 'many' of its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft following the midair blowout of a panel on one of its planes earlier this month, the carrier's chief executive officer said in an interview with NBC. Bloomberg: The accident has prompted some 'very tough, candid conversations' with Boeing about the planemaker's operations, Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci told NBC in the interview, which aired late Tuesday. 'I am angry. I'm more than frustrated and disappointed,' he said. 'My demand on Boeing is what are they going to do to improve their quality programs in-house?'

US safety regulators ordered all Max 9 planes grounded following the Jan. 5 incident, which left a gaping hole in the side of a jet and forced an emergency landing. No one was seriously injured. Minicucci said there was a 'guardian angel' on the flight. Manufacturing quality at Boeing is facing deep scrutiny from regulators, customers and the planemaker itself in the wake of the blowout. While Alaska and United Airlines Holdings, another large operator of the Max model, have performed inspections on some of the aircraft, they're awaiting final specifications from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing before the planes can fly again. 'Boeing is better than this,' Minicucci said. 'Flight 1282 should never have happened.'

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