At Alaska Airlines, safety is our first priority and the cornerstone of our operations. In light of the incident involving Flight 1282 this evening, we have made the prudent decision to temporarily ground our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft. Only after completing all necessary maintenance and safety inspections will each aircraft be put back into service. We expect that in the coming days, all inspections will be finished.
Alaska Airlines has declared that it will be grounding all sixty-five of its Boeing 737-9 aircraft as a result of a depressurization event that occurred in Portland on Friday, January 5.
In a press release, CEO Ben Minicucci said that the company decided to ground the aircraft as a precaution after what happened on Flight 1282.
We are analyzing what happened tonight in collaboration with regulators and Boeing, and we’ll keep you updated as more details become clear. Minicucci stated in the statement, “The NTSB is looking into this incident, and we will fully support them in their investigation.
“We expect all inspections to be finished within the next few days.”
Just after 5 p.m. on Friday, flight 1282 departed Portland International Airport with a destination of Ontario, California. A few minutes after takeoff, an emergency exit door blew off the aircraft, causing the depressurization.
Six crew members and 171 passengers were present.