Buttigieg says no timeline on Boeing 737 Max return after Alaska Air incident
'I have confidence in any aircraft cleared by the FAA,' Buttigieg says
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg discusses the Department of Transportation fining Southwest for its Christmas meltdown and the administration's electric vehicle goals.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wouldn't put a timeline on the return of Boeing’s 737-9 Max aircraft after a door on one of the models operated by Alaska Airlines blew off mid-flight on Friday.
"The only consideration for the timeline is safety," Buttigieg told reporters from the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting on Wednesday afternoon, transportation news outlet Skift reported. "Until it is ready, it’s not ready. Nobody can or should be rushed in that process."
"I have confidence in any aircraft cleared by the FAA," he continued, praising Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker, according to Politico. "Every plane they deliver to an airline, every plane that goes in the sky needs to be 100 percent safe. They need to be able to demonstrate that, which means finding and fixing anything related to this issue."
Buttigieg added that the images of the Alaska Airlines plane missing its door while in the air affected him.
CRITICAL PIECE OF ALASKA AIRLINES BOEING PLANE FOUND IN PORTLAND SCHOOL TEACHER’S BACKYARD
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks during the National Association of Counties 2023 Legislative Conference on Feb. 13, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The transportation secretary's comments come days after the incident, which ultimately forced an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, but caused no serious injuries among passengers.
The plane's door panel, which covers an extra emergency exit that is only operable on planes with the maximum capacity, blew off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 while it was at 16,000 feet and climbing to cruising altitude after departing Portland, Oregon, for Ontario, California. The loss of the panel caused the depressurization of the cabin and the plane soon made its emergency landing.
Officials say two cellphones, at least one of which was still intact and in airplane mode, were found on the ground, and the door plug, considered a key component, was recovered from a Portland school teacher's backyard.
While the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation of the incident, the FAA announced Tuesday that it had grounded every Boeing 737-9 Max with a plug door until the aircraft had been determined to be safe.
LATEST 737 MAX INCIDENT CREATES MORE HEADACHES FOR BOEING
A plastic sheet covers an area of the fuselage of the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft outside a hangar at Portland International Airport on Jan. 8. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images / Getty Images)
"The safety of the flying public, not speed, will determine the timeline for returning the Boeing 737-9 Max to service. Every Boeing 737-9 Max with a plug door will remain grounded until the FAA finds each can safely return to operation," the FAA said in a statement to FOX Business on Wednesday.
"To begin this process, Boeing must provide instructions to operators for inspections and maintenance," the statement continued. "Boeing offered an initial version of instructions yesterday which they are now revising because of feedback received in response. Upon receiving the revised version of instructions from Boeing the FAA will conduct a thorough review."
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According to Skift, Alaska and United are the only U.S. airlines that operate Boeing 737-9 aircraft with a total of 144 planes between the two companies. Both airlines had canceled future flights on the planes and found loose hardware upon inspection.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Eric Revell, Andrea Vacchiano and Grady Trimble contributed to this report.