Alaska Airlines awaits delivery of new Boeing jets after return of damaged MAX

The NTSB's investigation involved multiple parties including FAA officials, union representatives, Boeing staff, and Spirit AeroSystems personnel. It concluded that missing retention bolts led to the blowout of the door plug during flight. According to their final report: "the probable cause of the incident was the blowout of the door plug, and attributed this to the failure of American plane manufacturer Boeing to adequately oversee its factory workers and safety measures."

Alaska Airlines reached an agreement with Boeing in June 2024 for a full replacement of N704AL as compensation for what they considered a product defect. Newsweek reported that Alaska likely did not pay full price for its future MAX 10 replacement and noted that Boeing paid over $160 million in compensation for losses related to grounding and returning aircraft.

After clearing affected planes through new FAA-approved inspections, Alaska resumed normal operations but canceled between 110 and 150 flights per day during grounding periods.

Alaska’s fleet mainly consists of Boeing aircraft operated both directly and via regional partners Horizon Air and SkyWest. Its merger with Hawaiian Airlines added widebody jets like the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner into service for long-haul routes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. According to ch-aviation data, Alaska plans additional orders including twelve more MAX 8s (161 seats), sixty-three MAX 10s (190 seats), four Embraer E175s for regional use, as well as more widebody Dreamliners converted from Hawaiian’s original order.

Currently, deliveries of new MAX models are delayed until late 2026 or possibly into 2027 due to ongoing certification issues—particularly related to engine anti-ice systems—and competition from Airbus A321neo remains strong.