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

The Japan Coast Guard De Havilland Dash 8-300 that collided with a Japan Airlines A350-900 on 2 January at Tokyo Haneda airport appears to have entered the runway without clearance from air traffic control. Japan's transport ministry released a short transcript of air traffic control communications in the minutes leading up to the accident, which killed five on board the Dash 8 and led to a massive post-crash fire. All 367 passengers and 12 crew on the A350, registered JA13XJ (MSN 538), were evacuated before the aircraft was subsequently destroyed by the fire. The transcript, shows that the Coast Guard De Havilland Dash 8-300, registered JA722A (MSN 656), was cleared to taxi to holding point C5 at 17:45 (local time), shortly after which the crew read back the instruction. While the C5 point is the entry point to runway 34R, it appears that the Dash 8 did not receive clearance to enter the runway. The A350, operating flight JL516, had been cleared to land on the runway less than 30 seconds prior. NOTAMs indicate that stop bar lighting at several points along taxiway C, including at point C5, were not operational at the time, along with other lights on the airfield, until 22 February. Reports from Japan indicate that the sole survivor on the Dash 8, who was the captain, has been interviewed by Tokyo Police which is running an investigation in cooperation with the Japan Transport Safety Bureau. There are also reports that the crew operating the A350 have told investigators that they did not see the Dash 8 on the runway as they were coming into land.

Alaska Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, with seven more to join its fleet this year. The US carrier operates Max 9s in its fleet today and, in March 2022, modified a previous order for the model to include the 737-8 and in-development -10. Alaska's backlog includes firm orders for 80 Max jets and options and purchase rights for another 105, it says. The next four Max 8s are scheduled for delivery in March. Alaska says it is on track to add 15-25 new Boeing jets each year from through 2027, noting that the first Max 10 is due to join its fleet in 2025. To keep its 737-800s up to date, the carrier is investing $130 million in cabin refurbishment programme scheduled to begin in late 2024 and run through 2026. Regional subsidiary Horizon Air, for its part, will add nine Embraer 175s over the next three years, bringing its total to 50 E-Jets. "The addition of the Max 8 and eventually the Max 10 to our fleet creates new opportunities for us to fly longer nonstop routes and maximise our revenue potential," states Alaska senior vice-president of fleet, finance and alliances Nat Pieper.