United States Asserts It Will Not Hasten the Approval Process for Restoring Grounded Boeing Planes

According to the US government, airline regulators will not be pressured into approving the grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 planes following a recent mid-air incident. The Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, emphasized that the aircraft must be completely safe before they are allowed to fly again. At present, there is no definite timeline for when the planes will be cleared for operation. Dave Calhoun, the CEO of Boeing, referred to the incident as a "quality escape," indicating that it was caused by a failure in quality control. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 Boeing jets after the Alaska Airlines flight experienced an emergency landing due to a detached cabin door. Luckily, there were no injuries reported. Mr. Buttigieg refused to provide a specific date for when the suspension would end, emphasizing that safety is the main priority and rushing the process is not an option. As a result of the grounding, Alaska Airlines has cancelled approximately 20% of its flights, while United Airlines, the other operator of the 737 MAX 9 in the US, has numerous planes out of service. Alaska Airlines predicted significant cancellations for the coming Thursday, following 167 cancelled flights on Wednesday.