CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago-based United Airlines resumed flights with the Boeing 737 Max 9 planes Saturday for the first time since they were grounded after one of the planes had a panel blow out of its side during an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month.
At the end of the week, the Federal Aviation Administration gave airlines the greenlight to start flying again.
All 737 Max 9 planes are going through enhanced maintenance to inspect bolts and fittings.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are both allowing passengers who are nervous about flying on a 737 Max 9 to switch flights at no cost. The CEOs of both airlines vented their frustration at Boeing earlier this week.
United has 79 Max 9s — more than any other airline.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident involving the Alaska Airlines jet. NTSB officials have said they are looking into whether bolts that help secure the door plug were missing before the plane took off.
An NTSB investigator will return to Boeing's 737 assembly factory in Renton, Washington, on Friday as the probe continues, a spokesman for the board said. Investigators are building a timeline of the door plug that failed, from the early stages of its production to the flight on which it blew off the plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into whether Boeing and its suppliers followed proper safety procedures during manufacturing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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