United Airlines on Monday said it found loose bolts in Boeing 737 Max jets as it carried out inspections after a rival carrier’s plane suffered a structural failure.
“Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug – for example, bolts that needed additional tightening,” the company said in a statement.
“These findings will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to service.”
The planes are all recently built Max 9 models, the same version that suffered the earlier accident, a source said.
US aviation safety regulators grounded and ordered inspections for 171 Max 9 jets after a fuselage section blew out of a similar-vintage Alaska Air Group plane as it was climbing out of Portland, Oregon, on January 5.
No passengers or crew were injured during the accident, which left a gaping hole in the brand-new jet.
The findings by United heighten the urgency for operators of the Max 9.
Boeing on Monday issued guidelines to airlines on how to conduct inspections, an initial step before the US Federal Aviation Administration will approve a return to flight.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
