The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has adopted the US Federal Aviation Administration's emergency airworthiness directive requiring inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9 jets with mid-cabin door plugs. EASA says it has taken this measure "despite the fact that, to the agency's knowledge and also on the basis of statements from the FAA and Boeing, no airline in an EASA member state currently operates an aircraft in the relevant configuration". The directive covers Max 9 jets on which a mid-cabin exit has been replaced by a plug-in panel, EASA adds, noting that the configuration is used by airlines operating the aircraft with lower passenger capacity "where this additional exit is not required to meet evacuation safety requirements". Depending on seat count, Max 9 jets can be configured with active or deactivated mid-cabin exits or door plugs. The FAA issued its directive after a mid-cabin door plug detached from an Alaska Airlines Max 9 shortly after take-off from Portland on 5 January, leading to rapid decompression of the cabin. The aircraft returned to Portland and landed safely. US-registered Max 9 jets with the door plugs have been grounded under the FAA directive until inspection and potential corrective action has been completed. Following the FAA directive, the UK Civil Aviation Authority set a requirement that affected Max 9 operators inspect aircraft before flying them into UK airspace. ''There are no UK-registered 737 Max 9, and therefore the impact on UK-operated aircraft and consumers is minimal," the regulator says. The CAA has identified 182 Max 9 jets with mid-cabin door plugs and lists as affected aircraft operators/owners AerCap, Aeromexico, Air Lease Corporation, Alaska Airlines, BOC Aviation, Boeing, Copa Airlines, Icelandair, Lion Air, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines. Fleets data shows a total 215 Max 9s – across all door configurations – as having been in airline service prior the Alaska Airlines incident, with a passenger aircraft at Thai Lion Air plus a BBJ Max 9 corporate jet listed as being in storage. Panamanian flag carrier Copa Airlines has suspended operation of its Max 9 fleet following the FAA directive's issuance.

UAE-based Emirates is bolstering its capacity to the South Korean capital Seoul with three further weekly flights from mid-February, bringing the total to nine. The new services will take place using Boeing 777-300ER equipment, delivering over 1,000 additional seats per week in each direction, as well as 45 tonnes of extra cargo capacity. Emirates currently operates a daily Airbus A380 service between Seoul and Dubai.

Alaska Airlines has grounded its fleet of 65 Boeing Max 9 jets in the wake of what the US carrier calls an "incident" that forced an aircraft to return to Portland International shortly after take-off. Flight 1282 had departed Portland on the evening of 5 January, bound for Ontario, California. The incident occurred soon after departure, Alaska says. The aircraft, carrying 171 passenger and six crew members, landed safely in Portland. "Following tonight's event on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft," Alaska chief executive Ben Minicucci states. "Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections. We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days." Minicucci adds that Alaska is working with Boeing and regulators "to understand what occurred tonight". "The NTSB is investigating this event and we will fully support their investigation," he says. In addition to its 65 Max 9s, Alaska's Boeing fleet includes one Max 8 and 166 737NGs