Boeing 737 Max 9 crisis: Federal officials order grounding of some jetliners after plane suffers mid-air blowout In a rare move, federal officials have ordered the immediate grounding of specific Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners following a shocking incident involving an Alaska Airlines plane. The dramatic blowout led to a gaping hole in the fuselage, prompting concerns about the safety of these aircraft.Immediate grounding and global inspections Federal authorities have mandated the grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes for immediate inspections after an Alaska Airlines flight encountered a fuselage blowout. This precautionary measure affects approximately 171 airplanes globally and requires inspections lasting between four to eight hours per aircraft. The alarming incident occurred 3 miles above Oregon when an Alaska Airlines jetliner suffered a fuselage blowout, leading to an emergency landing. Miraculously, the 171 passengers and six crew members onboard were unharmed as the plane depressurised. Authorities are currently searching for the detached door near Oregon Route 217 and Barnes Road. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy highlighted the fortuitous timing of the incident, occurring before reaching cruising altitude when passengers are typically moving around the cabin. The NTSB and investigators are on-site to examine the circumstances surrounding the blowout, with passengers recounting a loud bang, a whooshing sound, and the instantaneous deployment of oxygen masks. Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci acknowledged the gravity of the situation, assuring passengers that efforts are underway to understand the cause. The inspections are expected to impact the airline’s schedule, with over 100 flights, or 15% of its Saturday schedule, canceled by midday. United Airlines also anticipates cancellations due to these necessary inspections. This incident raises significant safety concerns, especially since it involves the relatively new Boeing 737 Max 9, the latest version of the popular 737 series. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been overseeing the aircraft’s safety since the grounding of the Max 8 and Max 9 planes globally following two crashes in 2018 and 2019. Aviation experts express surprise at such an incident involving a new aircraft, emphasising the importance of passengers remaining seated and buckled. The global aviation community will closely watch investigations and subsequent safety measures to ensure the continued reliability of Boeing’s 737 Max 9 fleet.
If the current trend continues for a longer period of time, not only oil mills but oilseeds growers will also not be able to get good rates of their produce, says Samir Shah, president of Gujarat State Edible Oils and Oil Seeds Association (GEOA). Shah who is also past president of SOMA says that due to various international factors rates of edible oils had gone up considerably, especially imported oils earlier this year.
“With a view to curb rising prices of edible oil, the Government of India reduced import duty on edible oils. Considering the fact that India is producing hardly 30 percent of its edible oil requirement, the decision was right at that point of time. Now when international prices of edible oils have gone down by 15 percent to 25 percent and high production period has started in edible oil exporting countries, the government should gradually increase import duty to protect local oil mills and oilseeds growers,” said Shah. GEOA has also made representation before Union Minister for Commerce & Consumer Affairs, Piyush Goyal to increase import duty.
In June import duty on edible oils was ranging from 35 to 55 percent, since then the government gradually reduced import duty and at present it is ranging from zero percent to 15 percent on different edible oils, he said.
Just a month back prices of edible oils were through the roof and the government took appropriate measures by reducing import duty in order to protect consumers, says Atul Chaturvedi, president of Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA). “Prices of edible oils are coming down globally. Kharif sowing has already started across the country. In the interest of local farmers, it is high time to enhance import duty in a phased manner to encourage local edible oil value chain,” opined Chaturvedi.
On Thursday imported Palm oil prices were at around Rs 2100 per 15 kg as against local Rs 2700 and Rs 2550 of groundnut and cottonseed oils. Prices of other local oils including ricebran, coconut, soyabean and mustard remained as high as Rs 2350, Rs 2520, Rs 2500 and Rs 2580 respectively.
India imports around 13-13.5 million tonnes of edible oils, of which around 8-8.5 million tonnes (around 63 per cent) are palm oil. Though the price of other imported Sunflower oil remained at around Rs 2700 per 15 kg, but import quantity of the oil is much lower than that of palm oil.