Grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 won’t return to service until they are “100% safe”

United States Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has stated grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft won’t return to service until they are “safe”.

Secretary Buttigieg said that he was “not putting a timeline” on when the FAA will let the aircraft fly again, stating that they must first ensure they are “100% safe.”

The Transportation Secretary said the decision came after he met with Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun to make clear that the company must do everything in its power to ensure officials and passengers are confident in the aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft following an incident on an Alaska Airlines flight Friday evening.

READ: United Airlines finds loose bolts on multiple 737 Max 9 aircraft

Shortly after Flight 1282 took off, a section of the fuselage flew off, resulting in a rapid depressurisation of the cabin and forcing the aircraft to return to Portland, Oregon.

The aircraft reached 16,000ft before beginning its emergency descent, with footage online showing the gap in the side of the aircraft and oxygen masks deployed from the ceiling.

Calhoun addressed the situation on Tuesday, making clear that the situation “can never happen again” and acknowledging a “mistake” had been made.

READ: FAA grounds 171 Boeing 737 Max 9s

“We’re going to approach this, No. 1, acknowledging our mistake. We’re going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way,” Calhoun said.

“I got kids, I got grandkids and so do you. This stuff matters. Everything matters, every detail. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, this isn’t a lecture, not by any stretch. It’s nothing more than a reminder of the seriousness with which we have to approach our work,” he added, pledging to “get to a conclusion” about what occurred.

“Moments like this shake them to the bone, just like they shake me to my bones. They have confidence in all of us, they do, but we’re going to have to demonstrate by our actions, our willingness to work directly and transparently with them, and to make sure they understand that every airplane that Boeing has its name on that’s in the sky is, in fact, safe,” he continued.