Copa Airlines suspends operations of 21 planes following Alaska Airlines incident

Copa Airlines reported Saturday that it suspended the operations of 21 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft while they undergo a technical review, following a guideline from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States.

The Panamanian flag carrier indicated in a statement that “it has initiated the required technical inspections and hopes to return these aircraft to the flight schedule safely and reliably during the next 24 hours.”

“The Copa Airlines human team is working to minimize the effects on our passengers, even though some delays and cancellations are expected due to this situation beyond the airline’s control,” added the company’s letter.

The flights affected by this temporary suspension are some departing from Panama to Ecuador, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, and others arriving in the Central American country from Brazil, Uruguay, Honduras, the United States, Guatemala and Costa Rica.

The United States FAA ordered this Saturday the “temporary immobilization” of some 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated in that and other countries to undergo inspection, after one of these aircraft, from Alaska Airlines, lost part of its fuselage in full flight, although it was able to land safely at the airport in Portland, Oregon (USA).

“The required inspections will last between four and eight hours per aircraft,” the FAA before issuing an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) to require operators to review.

Since 2015, Copa Airlines has ordered 85 737 MAX aircraft from Boeing, as part of a fleet modernization plan.