Houston's Bush Airport expects 60 cancellations after FAA grounds United Airlines flights
HOUSTON - The Federal Aviation Administration grounded United Airlines flights on Saturday for inspections which has canceled numerous Houston flights.
In a statement, the FAA said they ordered a temporary grounding of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. An Emergency Airworthiness Directive will be used to require an inspection of the aircraft before flying that inspection cycle specified in the directive.
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Each aircraft inspection will take four to eight hours and will affect close to 171 planes worldwide.
Houston is one of United's largest hubs and is George Bush Intercontinental Airport's largest carrier.
United Airlines gave FOX 26 this statement:
United has temporarily suspended service on select Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to conduct an inspection required by the FAA. We are working directly with impacted customers to find them alternative travel options.
Bush Airport says United Airlines has 79 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft at the airport and 33 of those have already received the necessary inspection required by the FAA. The removal of MAX 9 aircraft is expected to cause about 60 cancellations as of Saturday.