Indonesian authorities have given the green light for the resumption of operations for three Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. This decision allows the model -a different configuration from the Alaska Airlines plane that experienced a door loss mid-flight on January 5- to return to the skies.
The incident leading to the suspension occurred when a cockpit panel detached from a Boeing 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines. This event took place shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, en route to Ontario, California, at an altitude of 16,000 feet. This prompted the pilots to perform an emergency descent. Subsequently, the aircraft landed normally, and of the 171 passengers and 6 crew members on board, only three sustained minor injuries.
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Following the incident, the model was grounded and is undergoing thorough inspections by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Now, after the suspension of three Lion Air-operated planes on January 6 and subsequent inspections, the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation has confirmed its authorization to resume flights.
In a statement, Lion Air noted that these planes have different configurations than the Alaska Airlines aircraft. The Ministry of Transportation specified that Lion Air’s planes are equipped with a «Type II emergency exit door». Alaska Airlines’ MAX fleet, on the other hand, is equipped with an «exit door plug.»
The MAX 9 features emergency exit doors in the rear half of the cabin on both sides of the aircraft. Aircraft with high-density configurations, such as those operated by Lion Air (220 seats) and Corendon Dutch Airlines (213 seats), require these emergency doors to comply with regulatory requirements.
In aircraft with less dense configurations, such as those operated by Alaska Airlines (178 seats) and United Airlines (179 seats), such doors are not necessary. Instead, sealing panels are installed that, inside the aircraft, do not differ in appearance from a regular window panel.
