Alaska Air returns 737 MAX 9 involved in mid-air blowout to Boeing

FILE PHOTO: The fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX, which was forced to make an emergency landing with a gap in the fuselage, is seen during its investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Portland, Oregon, U.S. January 7, 2024. NTSB/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

(Reuters) -Alaska Airlines said on Friday it has returned to Boeing the 737 MAX 9 plane that in January was involved in a mid-air door panel blowout.

"They have taken possession of it and the registration has been changed," an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said, adding an order for a new 737-10 has also been placed.

Boeing has informed its suppliers there will be a delay in a key production milestone for its 737 jet family by three months, sources told Reuters' earlier this month.

U.S. investigators on Thursday sanctioned Boeing for revealing details of a probe into the blowout and said they would refer its conduct to the Justice Department, prompting the planemaker to issue an apology.

FILE PHOTO: The fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX, which was forced to make an emergency landing with a gap in the fuselage, is seen during its investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Portland, Oregon, U.S. January 7, 2024. NTSB/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler and Chris Reese)