The grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max 9 airplane may not have a significant impact on Canadian air travelers, but it is still advisable for them to review their itineraries. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s order to ground the Max 9 came after a part of the fuselage tore away from an Alaska Airlines plane, resulting in a hole in the side of the cabin. This grounding led to the cancellation of tens of thousands of flights in the United States, affecting 171 planes that were temporarily barred from taking off.
It is worth noting that no Canadian airlines operate the Max 9, but some of the major carriers have partnerships with Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, both of which use the narrow-body jets in their fleets. The consequences of this grounding hinge on whether the problem is an isolated incident or indicative of a systematic flaw, according to John Gradek, an aviation management professor at McGill University.
This halt adds to the challenges faced by Boeing, as the 737 Max 8 airliner was grounded for 20 months between 2019 and 2020, resulting in significant financial losses for the company and raising concerns about its reliability. The full impact of the Max 9 grounding remains to be seen as investigations continue.