Turkish Airlines grounds Boeing 737 MAX 9 fleet after Alaska Airlines window/fuselage blow-out incident

Turkish Airlines will temporarily ground its Boeing 737 MAX 9 fleet, the airline said on Sunday. The decision comes after the loss of the window and fuselage panel on an Alaska Airlines aircraft of the same type shortly after take-off from Portland, Oregon, United States. The pilots safely returned the aircraft to Portland. 

Soon after that incident, Alaska Airlines grounded its fleet of 65 Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft and said to do a full maintenance and safety inspection of every aircraft before they will be returned to service.

“Following the incident on Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, as a result of the preliminary investigation of the authorities, 5 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft in the Turkish Airlines fleet were requested to be examined as a precaution,” said Yahya Üstün, senior vice president of media relations at Turkish Airlines.

“Until the technical review process in the incident is completed and the measures requested by the authorities are taken, Turkish Airlines has decided to withdraw 5 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft in its fleet from operation at the airport where they will first land. Flight safety is our top priority,” Üstün added.