Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement: “At Alaska Airlines, safety is our foundational value and the most important thing we focus on every day. Following tonight’s event on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft. Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections. We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days. I am personally committed to doing everything we can to conduct this review in a timely and transparent way. We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred tonight, and will share updates as more information is available. The NTSB is investigating this event and we will fully support their investigation. My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced. I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants. We have teams on the ground in Portland assisting passengers and are working to support guests who are traveling in the days ahead.”
Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>>
See the top stocks recommended by analysts >>
Read More on ALK:
- Alaska Air Airlines takes delivery of first longer-range Boeing 737-8
- U.S. DOT initiating probe of airline frequent flyer programs, Reuters reports
- Alaska Air (NYSE:ALK) Jumps despite New Labor Troubles
- Uber, Jabil, Builders FirstSource to join S&P 500 at open on 12/18
- Sealed Air, SolarEdge, Orthofix to join S&P 600 at open on 12/18