Alaska Airlines on late Friday grounded all of its Boeing 737-9 aircraft hours after a window and a chunk of fuselage on one of its planes blew open mid-air after take-off, forcing an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon. The gaping bole caused the cabin to depressurise as the plane reached a height of 16,000 feet (4,876 m) before returning to 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 Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement. Each of the aircraft will be returned to service after full maintenance and safety inspections that is said to take some days, according to Minicucci.

More to follow..