Alaska Airlines places record 110-jet order with Boeing, 2 years after MAX 9 door plug blowout

Alaska Airlines announced the largest aircraft order in its history, agreeing to buy at least 110 jets from Boeing in a major vote of confidence for the U.S. plane maker two years after a midair door plug blowout rocked the aviation industry.

The Seattle-based carrier said the deal includes 105 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft and five 787 Dreamliners, with options to purchase 35 additional MAX jets over the next decade. Alaska declined to disclose the price of the order. About half of the aircraft will replace older planes, while the rest are intended to support growth, the airline said.

Alaska Airlines signals confidence in Boeing with massive purchase

The order marks Alaska’s first major Boeing purchase since January 2024, when a door plug panel blew out of a nearly new 737 MAX 9 operated by the airline shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon.

No one was killed, but the incident forced Alaska Airlines to ground its MAX 9 fleet and intensified scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing and quality controls. The pilot of that flight, Captain Brandon Fisher, has since sued Boeing for $10 million, alleging the company initially sought to blame him and his co-pilot for the failure.

Boeing CEO Kelly Orting addressed the incident and his company’s ongoing partnership with Alaska during the deal-signing event on Wednesday.

“We’ve listened to you, you’ve given us good ideas, and I hope we can continue that benchmarking as we continue to always look for improvements in the safety and quality of our processes,” Orting said.

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci told CNBC the airline has closely monitored Boeing’s progress since the incident, including placing its own inspectors on production lines and conducting regular audits. He said the carrier has seen steady improvements and is confident in Boeing’s ability to deliver safe, high-quality aircraft.

The 737 MAX 10, the largest variant of the MAX family, has not yet been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and is years behind its original schedule. Alaska said it expects certification later this year, with deliveries beginning in 2027. The airline, which acquired Hawaiian Airlines in 2024, has said the expanded fleet could support new domestic and international routes in the years ahead.

Also in attendance at the deal-signing ceremony was U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who first remarked positively on Alaska Airlines’ new livery called “Aurora”. Duffy went on to declare the deal meant American manufacturing is back.

“Whether it’s aviation or automotive, we want to make the best products in the world in America,” Duffy said. “And not just sell them to Americans, we want to sell them around the world.”

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