Boeing has admitted fault for the mid-flight door blow out that took place on an Alaska Airlines plane, accepting it was "our mistake".
It is the first time the company has admitted fault since the terrifying incident took place last Friday on board a nearly-full 737 Max 9 plane.
Boeing's chief executive Dave Calhoun addressed the company's staff in a town hall at a factory in Renton, Washington.
He revealed that he had been "shaken to the bone" by the near-fatal catastrophic incident, where an Alaska Airlines plane made an emergency landing after a door blew out at 16,000 feet.
Boeing's chief executive Dave Calhoun revealed he had been "shaken to the bone"
Reuters
He added that an image of the inside of the plane following the incident made him think of his family.
Calhoun said: "We’re going to approach this – number one – acknowledging our mistake.
“We’re going to approach it with 100 per cent and complete transparency every step of the way.
“When I got that picture, all I could think about … [was] I’ve got kids, I’ve got grandkids and so do you. This stuff matters. Every detail matters.
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After seeing an image of the incident Dave Calhoun instantly thought of his family
Reuters
The flight, which was headed from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, was carrying 177 passengers and crew when it lost a portion of its fuselage just 35 minutes into the flight.
The plane managed to land safely with no injuries reported. Luckily no one was sitting next to the window that blew off.
Following the incident, the airline said it would “temporarily” ground all 65 of its 737 Max 9 aircraft as it conducts inspections.
That was then increased to more than 170, with regulators stressing that passenger safety, “not speed”, will determine how soon they return to the skies.
Alaska Airlines has also cancelled 109 flights, which is nearly 20 per cent of its scheduled flights on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, United Airlines, which is the largest operator of Max 9s, cancelled 225 of its flights on Tuesday.
In a separate meeting, Boeing told its staff that the findings of loose parts on similar aircraft on both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines' fleets were being treated as a "quality control issue".
Calhoun told employees that the company will ensure that the next plane that takes off "is in fact safe".
