United Airlines finds loose bolts on several 737 MAX planes

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00:00 It's a troubling discovery that has deepened Boeing's latest 737 MAX crisis.

00:07 United Airlines said it has found bolts in need of additional tightening during initial

00:11 inspections of its grounded 737 MAX 9s after a dramatic mid-flight incident last week on

00:17 an Alaska Airlines plane of the same kind.

00:21 Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear

00:26 to relate to installation issues in the door plug.

00:29 For example, bolts that needed additional tightening.

00:33 United, which has 79 MAX 9s, the largest fleet worldwide, said it had cancelled 200 flights

00:39 as of Monday and expected significant cancellations on Tuesday.

00:44 The comments came hours before Alaska Airlines, the other US carrier that operates the jet,

00:49 reported it had found loose hardware on some of its grounded MAX 9 aircraft.

00:54 Boeing, meanwhile, said it would help customers address any findings during inspections.

01:00 US regulators grounded 171 MAX 9s after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines passenger

01:06 plane not long after it took off from Portland, forcing pilots to make an emergency landing.

01:12 The missing section of the plane was found in the back garden of a Portland teacher.

01:16 Alaska Airlines is facing scrutiny after investigators revealed that the company had placed restrictions

01:22 on the plane due to several pressurisation warnings days before the blowout.

01:27 It is not clear if there is a link between the issues that led to those warnings and

01:31 Friday's incident.

01:33 These recent findings have sparked fresh safety concerns about Boeing's best-selling jet family.

01:39 It's another blow for the company, whose 737 MAX has been described as the most scrutinised

01:44 transport aircraft in history after a series of safety issues.

01:49 Two of its jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people, which led to all MAX 8

01:56 and MAX 9 planes being grounded worldwide for nearly two years.

02:00 Bye.

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