The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a statement urging airlines to inspect door panels on Boeing 737-900ER jets following a mid-air incident on an Alaska Airlines flight. The FAA is recommending that airlines visually inspect mid-exit door plugs to ensure they are properly secured. The Boeing 737-900ER has the same door plug design as the Boeing 737 Max 9 jet involved in the Alaska Airlines incident. There are approximately 380 of these aircraft in service in the U.S., primarily operated by Alaska Airlines, Delta, and United.

Alaska Airlines has already begun inspecting its fleet of 737-900ER planes, stating that safety is their top priority. They have not found any issues thus far and expect to complete the inspections without disruption to their operations. United Airlines is also conducting inspections of their jets and expects them to be completed in the next few days without affecting their customers.

Boeing has expressed their full support for the FAA and their customers in this action. The Alaska Airlines flight involved in the incident was a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet, which is part of a line of aircraft that has faced safety concerns. Door plugs are panels that cover unneeded exit doors and can turn them into windows. Following the incident, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines found loose bolts on door plugs of their grounded 737 Max 9 jets.

In response to the Alaska Airlines incident, U.S. regulators have grounded 171 jets from the 737 Max 9 fleet with the same configuration. The FAA has stated that they will only allow the 737-9 MAX to return to service once their safety has been verified. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the cause of the incident, but initial examinations have shown signs of fractured guides and missing bolts on the panel that blew out.

The FAA's recommendation for inspections of the 737-900ER aircraft is a precautionary measure, and there is no evidence of any problems or defects with the door plugs. The model has logged 11 million hours of operation without any issues. Operators have already conducted additional inspections following the Alaska Airlines emergency.

The FAA's increased oversight of Boeing and their evaluation of inspection and maintenance data from the initial 40 inspections of the MAX-9 aircraft are ongoing. The 737 Max 9 planes will remain grounded until the FAA is satisfied that they are safe to return to service.

In addition to the inspections on the 737-900ER aircraft, US air regulators have issued a "safety alert" recommending inspections of door plugs on another Boeing model. The FAA has recommended that airlines operating Boeing 737-900ER jets ensure that the door plugs are properly secured after some operators reported issues with bolts. This recommendation comes after the mid-air incident on the Alaska Airlines flight, which led to the grounding of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes for checks.

The door plugs on the 737-900ER aircraft are used to add an extra emergency exit door when airlines choose to install more seats. Inspections have revealed findings with bolts, leading to the FAA's recommendation for airlines to check the four bolts used to secure the door plug to the airframe as soon as possible. Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the largest users of the 737-900ER aircraft, do not expect any cancellations due to the inspections.

The recent incident with the 737 Max 9 has raised concerns over safety at Boeing, as the company has been working to regain confidence following two fatal crashes involving MAX variants. The FAA has completed inspections of an initial group of 40 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets, a significant step towards allowing the planes to fly again. However, the MAX 9 will remain grounded until the FAA is satisfied with their safety.

Overall, the FAA's recommendation for inspections of door plugs on Boeing 737-900ER jets is a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers. Airlines are conducting these inspections to verify that the door plugs are properly secured, following an incident on an Alaska Airlines flight. The FAA continues to monitor the situation and is working closely with Boeing and the airlines to ensure the safety of their aircraft.