Boeing admits mistake in the "Alaska Airlines" accident and the stock deepens its losses

The MAX officially entered service in 2017 and has seen numerous accidents (Reuters)

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has admitted the company made a mistake in connection with an explosion on an Alaska Airlines plane in flight and told employees that the company will work with regulators to ensure "it doesn't happen again."

Calhoun's comments were Boeing's first public admission of error since Friday's crash that caused a large hole in the 737 MAX 9.

The company's shares continued their declines, during trading on Tuesday, recording a decline of 1.41% to $ 225.76.

The company's market capitalization has fallen since the crash to $14.11 billion, according to Al Jazeera's calculations, with the stock since falling from $249 at Friday's close at the time of the accident.

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the two U.S. companies that use the temporarily grounded model, found dismantled parts in similar planes, raising fears that such an incident could be repeated.

Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter, said Boeing told employees at a separate meeting that finding a number of loose bolts in planes was being treated as a "quality control matter" and that inspection was underway at Boeing and supplier Spirit Aerosystems.

Boeing has ordered its factories and suppliers' factories to make sure such issues are addressed and conduct a broader examination of systems and processes, it said.

Calhoun told employees, according to an excerpt released by Boeing: "We will deal with this, first, by admitting our mistake. We will deal with it in all its aspects and with full transparency every step of the way."

Cancellation of flights

United Airlines canceled 225 daily flights, or 8% of all flights, while Alaska canceled 109 flights, or 18%, and similar cancellations are expected today, as a result of the accident.

Calhoun also told Boeing employees that the company "will make sure that every plane that flies afterwards is actually safe."

He praised the Alaska Airlines crew who moved quickly to land the 737 MAX 9 without serious injuries among the 171 passengers and six crew members.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration grounded 171 planes after the latest crash, leading to the cancellation of several flights.

The plate that exploded on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 replaces the optional exit door on the 737 MAX 9 used by airlines with more seats.

The US company has delivered 528 aircraft, while sources said rival Airbus will announce the delivery of 735 aircraft for 2023 this week.

The most prominent accidents of Boeing "Max"

MAX aircraft officially entered service in 2017, and Anadolu Agency monitored their most prominent falls and accidents as follows:

2024

On Jan. 737, Alaska Airlines grounded all of its Boeing 9 MAX <> aircraft hours after a rear part of the plane exploded, disconnecting the emergency door plug of one of the planes and forcing it to make an emergency landing.

The flight, which carried 171 passengers and 6 crew members, returned safely to Portland, Oregon, without causing injuries.

2023
In December, Boeing instructed all customers to inspect its 737 MAX planes for a possible loose screw.

The story began after regular maintenance by one of the international airlines, and discovered a missing nut in the pin that connects the rudder control system during flight.

2019

In March 2019, aviation authorities and industry companies in most parts of the world announced that Boeing 737 MAX aircraft would be required to stay on the ground after two crashes of that type, and the ban lasted until the end of 2021.

On March 2019, 737, an Ethiopian Airlines 149 Max crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa to the Kenyan capital Nairobi, carrying <> passengers, all of whom died.

2018

In October 2018, a Lion Air plane of the same model crashed into the sea near Indonesia, carrying about 190 people, none of whom according to local authorities survived.

Investigators said at the time that the Lion Air pilots appeared to be battling an automated system designed to prevent the plane from stalling, a new feature of the Boeing 737 Max.

The results of the investigation indicated that the anti-stop system led to the lowering of the nose of the aircraft, despite the efforts of the pilots to correct this.

Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies