United Airlines resumes Boeing 737 Max 9 flights
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago-based United Airlines resumed flights with its Boeing 737 Max 9s Saturday morning, according to a statement from the airline.
The first flight was United Flight 1525 from Neward to Vegas, which departed at 10:30 a.m. local time. The first flight carried 175 passengers and 6 crew.
This is the first flight since a side panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines plane midflight forcing an emergency landing earlier this month.
Late this week the Federal Aviation Administration gave the green light to airlines to start flying again. All 737 Max 9 planes are going through enhanced maintenance to inspect bolts and fittings.
"It's good to see our 737 Max 9s flying again following rigorous inspections by United technicians after weeks of close coordination with the FAA," said CEO Scott Kirby. "As we always do, we'll continue to work closely with Boeing and the FAA to make sure our entire fleet is reliable and, above all, safe. With that in mind, we are sending inspectors to the Boeing facility in Renton, Washington to provide input on Boeing's processes."
United took its 79 Boeing Max 9 aircraft out of service after the Alaska Airlines incident.
The company said it expected to fly "a few" passenger flights on the Max 9 Saturday.
Alaska Airlines resumed Max 9 flights Friday.
Both Alaska and United are allowing passengers who are nervous about flying on a 737 Max 9 to switch flights at no cost.
Earlier this week Kirby said he is "disappointed" in ongoing manufacturing problems at Boeing. The company will consider alternatives to buying the future Max 10, a larger version of the Boeing 737 Max.
