Boeing paid Alaska Airlines $160 million in compensation for the plane's door exploding in flight

Aerospace company Boeing paid Alaska Airlines $160 million in compensation after the incident with the plane's 737 Max 9 door — they fell out during the flight.

This is stated in the Alaska Air Group document.

The amount of $160 million is equivalent to the damages that Alaska Air Group suffered due to the incident that led to the shutdown of the entire fleet Max 9 aircraft.

The airline explains that the losses are related to loss of income, expenses due to irregular work and expenses for restoring the operational capacity of the aircraft fleet. The Max 9 planes have been out of service for a month, forcing Alaska Airlines to cancel 110–150 daily flights.

Boeing is also expected to provide further compensation, but its terms remain confidential.

What's wrong with Boeing 737 Max planes

Incident with the plane door

On January 5, 2024, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 (flight 1282) landed at the airport in Portland (Washington) 35 minutes after takeoff. During the flight, the emergency exit door blew off. There were 171 passengers and six crew members in the plane at that time. After that, Alaska Airlines took all of its 65 MAX 9s for inspection, and Boeing 737 MAX 9 airliners were grounded worldwide.

It was later reported that the plane had received a warning several days before the incident. Pilots warned of excess pressure during the three previous flights of this liner — this meant that the aircraft was not allowed to make long flights over water. However, the maintenance of the plane did not have time to be completed before its next flight on January 5. It is still unclear whether there is a connection between the pressure problems that were warned about and the problem that caused the door to blow off. The plane was new, Alaska Airlines received it in October 2023, and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declared it airworthy.

On January 8, United Airlines reported that during an inspection it had found a "loose" bolts on MAX 9. This was also reported by Alaska Airlines later. Boeing promised to fix the situation.

On January 25, the FAA warned that it would temporarily stop issuing permits to Boeing to expand production of the MAX series aircraft. The company then fired the head of the 737 MAX airliner program. All planes have been checked. On January 27, Alaska Airlines resumed flights of its MAX 9.