Alaska Airlines finds many loose bolts on its Boeings as United questions orders

WASHINGTON - Boeing came under renewed pressure on Tuesday as the head of Alaska Airlines said inspections carried out after a dangerous incident had found many loose bolts on its 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft following the incident on January 5th, when a panel blew off the Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight, leaving a hole in the fuselage and forcing an emergency landing.

The company's chief executive Ben Minicucci told NBC News Tuesday that an in-house inspection of its Boeing 737 Max 9 fleet carried out after the incident had found that "many" of these aircraft had loose bolts.

"I'm more than frustrated and disappointed. I am angry," he said.

"This happened to Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests and happened to our people," he added, calling on Boeing to "improve their quality programs in-house."

Earlier Tuesday, United Airlines cast doubt on future orders and deliveries of Boeing 737s in the wake of the near-disaster, in which no people died or were seriously injured. 

In a conference call, its chief financial officer Michael Leskinen said 31 out of the 107 aircraft United expects to take delivery of this year are Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.

"It is unrealistic at this time to believe all of those aircraft will deliver as currently planned," he said.

Alongside its MAX 9 orders, United also has 277 as-yet-uncertified Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft on order through the rest of the 2020s, and options to purchase 200 further aircraft, Leskinen told the conference call.

"We also expect a reduction in orders and deliveries from Boeing in 2025," he said, noting that orders of 737 MAX 10s would also likely be affected.