The US Federal Aviation Administration has recommended airlines operating another Boeing plane - the 737-900ER - inspect door plugs to ensure they are properly secured after some operators reported unspecified issues with bolts upon inspections.
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The recommendation follows the FAA's grounding of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes after a mid-air cabin blowout of a door plug on an eight-week-old Alaska Airlines MAX 9 jet .
Boeing's shares were down 2.5 per cent in premarket trading on Monday. They have fallen 17.5 per cent since the beginning of the year.
The 737-900ER is not part of the newer MAX fleet but has the same optional door plug design that allows for the addition of an extra emergency exit door when carriers opt to install more seats.
The FAA issued a "Safety Alert for Operators" disclosing some airlines have conducted additional inspections on the 737-900ER mid-exit door plugs "and have noted findings with bolts during the maintenance inspections."
It recommended air carriers perform key portions of a maintenance procedure related to the four bolts used to secure the door plug to the airframe "as soon as possible."
A Boeing spokesperson said in an email that "we fully support the FAA and our customers in this action." Boeing first delivered the 737-900ER in 2007 and last one in 2019.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the only two US carriers that use the MAX 9, said this month they had found loose parts on multiple grounded MAX 9 aircraft during preliminary checks. They have had to cancel thousands of flights this month because of the grounding.
In contrast to the MAX 9, a new plane with a low number of flights, Boeing 737-900ER aircraft have had over 11 million hours of operation and 3.9 million flight cycles. The FAA said the door plug "has not been an issue with this model".
Australian Associated Press
