Source: The New York Times, BCM Newswire                   Date: 14 April, 2011

The Boeing 737 is a workhorse of international aviation. And the accident in which the roof of a jet ripped open 34,000 feet over Arizona has brought scrutiny to the hundreds of older-model 737s around the world that could be similarly vulnerable because of tiny, hard-to-find stress fractures in the aluminum skin. The planes will now be subjected to repeated examinations as the problem revealed by the fuselage crack on the affected flight resonates through the world's 737 fleet.

The incident has forced airlines and governments around the world to take swift action. What the plane manufacturer usually does in this kind of situation is to issue a "directive" to all users of the plane in question around the world. This would normally contain, among other things, a description of the problem and clear instructions on what to do/not to do, to ascertain if those planes can continue flying or need immediate grounding. Industry observers assume Boeing has already done so and is working this out with all 737 users, including MIAT.  However, MIAT has made no public revelation of what, if anything, it is doing, together with Boeing, to ensure the safety of their 737 fleet.

There are about 6,000 737s in operation worldwide."Some airlines may not always maintain the records that they need to and certainly not all airlines will maintain their airplanes to the highest levels of safety," said Mr. Henry Harteveldt, an aviation analyst. However, special inspections are needed for planes that have reached the threshold of 30,000 takeoffs and landings.  The inspections are high-tech and labor-intensive, and take two experts in aircraft service about eight hours. Repairs on any fatigue cracks will take a day or two at most. The checks will have to be repeated every 500 flights.

A 737-200 model flying for Aloha Airlines in 1988 had one of the most spectacular aviation incidents in modern history when its roof ripped off while flying from Hilo to Honolulu. A flight attendant was sucked out of the plane and plunged to her death, and dozens of passengers were injured.