More Sea-Tac Airport cancellations, delays after Boeing 737 MAX 9 blowout

SEATTLE — Thousands of flights nationwide continue to be delayed or canceled in the wake of the serious incident that led to a federally mandated grounding of most Boeing 737 Max 9 models across the country.

At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, canceled flights to or from the airport continued Monday morning. As of 10:20 a.m., 84 flights were canceled, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. An additional 81 flights were delayed Monday.

On Friday, part of a Boeing 737 Max 9 fuselage blew out at 16,000 feet on an Alaska Airlines flight out of Portland, leaving a large hole and decompressing the passenger cabin.

Several passengers were injured and have since been medically cleared, according to Alaska Airlines. The seats closest to the door plug in row 26 were unoccupied.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered the temporary grounding and safety inspection of all similar aircraft operated in the country or by U.S. airlines. That affected about 170 Boeing planes.

Travel disruptions are expected to continue through at least midweek, according to Alaska Airlines, which is inspecting its fleet of 65 Max 9s. The inspections are estimated to take about four to eight hours per aircraft.

United and Alaska Airlines, which operate the most Boeing 737 Max 9s in the U.S., accounted for the vast majority of nationwide flight interruptions on Monday.

Flights to and from Sea-Tac Airport accounted for the most cancellations and delays in the country on Monday.