Boeing 737-900s must be inspected for cracks sooner than before

The US aviation regulator is proposing to shorten the time between mandatory inspections for cracks on certain Boeing 737-900 and -900ER airplanes. This means airlines will have to check their planes for fuselage skin cracks more frequently to ensure safety.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) previously set a schedule for inspecting these planes, but it turns out that schedule was not strict enough. This change means that a known safety issue, fuselage cracking, will be addressed more proactively. Airlines operating these specific Boeing models will face increased maintenance costs and potential downtime for inspections.