Alaska, United extend Boeing 737 MAX 9 cancellations through Wednesday

Washington: Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are extending their cancellations of all Boeing 737 MAX 9 flights through Wednesday following a Jan. 5 mid-air cabin blowout and as inspections continue.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday said the grounding of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes would continue indefinitely for new safety checks and announced it would tighten oversight of Boeing.

The FAA plans to review the data from the initial 40 planes inspected before it will consider putting the jets back in service. Those inspections are ongoing and are not expected to be completed before Wednesday.