Alaska Airlines leader 'more than disappointed' with Boeing

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said new internal inspections of the Boeing 737 Max 9 planes the airline is operating show that "many" have loose bolts.

"I'm beyond disappointed and frustrated. I'm angry [...] My question to Boeing is what are they going to do to improve their quality control programs," Minicucci said in an exclusive interview with NBC News.

Mr. Minicucci's statement was made in the context of Alaska Airlines on January 5 recording the mid-air fuselage incident of a 737 Max 9 manufactured by Boeing (USA).

Lãnh đạo Alaska Airlines 'hơn cả thất vọng' với Boeing- Ảnh 1. — Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft

Following the incident, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all Boeing Max 9 aircraft and launched a safety investigation. The agency also announced an inspection of the Max 9 production line and Boeing suppliers "to assess Boeing's compliance with approved quality procedures."

The FAA has ordered Boeing and its third-party suppliers to step up their oversight of inspections. The incident has also prompted lawmakers to question whether Boeing’s quality control system is adequate.

Airplane door explodes in mid-air, US temporarily grounds 171 737 MAX 9s

Mr Minicucci said Boeing's responsibility now was to show how it would improve quality control and prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

But to be sure, Mr. Minicucci said Alaska Airlines is incorporating its own additional oversight of the production line at Boeing.

Meanwhile, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told CNBC on January 24 that they are currently planning to remove the Boeing 737 Max 10, a newer version of the Boeing 737 Max 9, from their fleet.

United Airlines also said it found additional loose bolts on its Max 9 aircraft.

Speaking to NBC News, a Boeing representative acknowledged that the company had disappointed customers and apologized for the significant disruption. Accordingly, Boeing is implementing a comprehensive plan to safely return these planes to service and improve quality and delivery performance. Boeing has lost 19% of its market capitalization over the past month.

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