The decision comes after a near-disaster incident involving an Alaska Airlines jet where a door panel blew out midair, prompting the grounding of all Max 9s by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Alaska Airlines, in its latest earnings report, stated that it is in the process of completing inspections on all of its 737 Max 9 aircraft. Each plane will be returned to service after undergoing the necessary inspections and resolving any identified issues. CNBC reported that Alaska Airlines is set to resume Max 9 flights as early as Friday, following the approval of final inspection instructions by the FAA late on Wednesday.

United Airlines, the other major carrier operating Max 9 jets, confirmed that it plans to return these planes to service by next week. Both airlines have experienced significant disruptions in their schedules due to the grounding of the Max 9 planes. Alaska Airlines, with 20% of its fleet consisting of Max 9s, reported that 22% of its flights remained canceled as of Thursday, according to FlightAware data.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci expressed concerns about the faulty door that led to the near-disaster and stated that the airline has sent its own audit team to support Boeing's inspections to ensure quality and safety.

The future of Boeing's Max production expansion remains uncertain as the FAA has suspended the company's planned production increases. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker emphasized that there will be no business as usual for Boeing and that any requests for expansion or additional production lines for the 737 Max will only be considered once all quality control issues are resolved. As a result of the incident, Boeing shares have fallen by 20% since early January.

As Alaska Airlines and United Airlines move forward with the resumption of Max 9 flights, passengers can expect enhanced safety measures and rigorous inspections to be conducted to address any potential concerns. The airlines are committed to providing a safe and reliable travel experience for their passengers, ensuring that thorough checks have been carried out before these aircraft are allowed to return to service.