The CEO of Alaska Airlines has ripped Boeing in the wake of the recent near-disaster , revealing that loose bolts were found on “many” of the company’s 737 MAX 9 planes.
CEO Ben Minicucci said that a new in-house inspection of the Boeing model in the fleet has uncovered that “many” of the planes had loose bolts.
“I’m angry. I’m more than frustrated and disappointed. I am angry,” Minicucci told NBC News Tuesday. “This happened to Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests and happened to our people.
“And my demand on Boeing is what are they going to do to improve their quality programs in-house,” he added. “Boeing is better than this. Flight 1282 should never have happened.”
The CEO’s interview was the first since a door plug on an Alaska Airlines-owned 737 MAX 9 carrying 177 people lost a door plug in the skies over Oregon during a flight to California on Jan. 5, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered all MAX 9 jets grounded and launched a safety investigation.