Copa and Aeromexico ground Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft

Latin American carriers Copa Airlines and Aeromexico have together grounded about 40 of their Boeing 737 Max 9s after an Alaska Airlines aircraft of the same type suffered a depressurisation incident. On 6 January, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it was temporarily grounding “certain” aircraft of the type pending inspections. “In accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Aeromexico will ground its B737 Max 9 aircraft until they undergo inspection,” the Mexico City-headquartered airline said on 6 January. “The inspection of our Max 9 fleet will be completed as soon as possible to continue with scheduled operations, and we will continue to work closely with Boeing and the competent authorities.” According to Cirium fleets data, Aeromexico has 52 737 Max aircraft in service, of which 19 are the dash 9 type. It also operates 34 older-generation 737-800s. Copa, meantime, says it has ”temporarily suspended” the operation of 21 Max 9s. Cirium data show that the carrier has 29 of the type in service. ”Copa has initiated the necessary technical inspections and expects to return these aircraft safely and reliably to the flight schedule within the next 24 hours,” the Panama City-based carrier said on 6 January. ”The airline’s team is working to minimise the impact on our passengers, although some delays and cancellations are expected due to this situation beyond the airline’s control.”<br/>