US grounds some Boeing 737 Max planes after window blows out mid-air

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US federal regulators have temporarily grounded some Boeing 737 Max planes in American airspace after a section of an Alaska Airlines jet blew out in mid-air.

The emergency directive from the US Federal Aviation Administration affects about 171 jets worldwide. Carriers will need to inspect aircraft before further flight, a process that takes four to eight hours per plane, according to the directive.

“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. “Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the [National Transportation Safety Board’s] investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”

The move is a blow to Boeing, which has struggled with manufacturing defects on the 737. It continues to experience the fallout from a 20-month worldwide grounding imposed by regulators after a pair of deadly crashes five months apart.

“Safety is our top priority,” Boeing said in a statement. “We agree with and fully support the FAA’s decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane.”

Alaska grounded 65 jets in its own fleet after an incident on a Friday night flight from Portland, Oregon to California. It turned around 35 minutes into the journey and returned safely to Portland.

The plane, a 737 Max 9, was carrying 171 passengers and six crew. Photos and videos shared on social media by passengers showed a portion of a side wall and a window missing and oxygen masks deployed. 

Photos appeared to show a section of the fuselage, which is sometimes used as an optional exit door, torn away. Lower-cost airlines that carry more passengers often install the extra door to enable more evacuation options. The doors are permanently deactivated on Alaska Airlines…