Boeing pays Alaska Airlines US$160 million in compensation for the blowout of a panel during flight

Alaska Airlines says Boeing has paid US$160 million in initial compensation for losses that the airline suffered after a panel blew off one of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners in January.

The airline said Thursday that it expects more compensation, but it didn’t say how much. The initial payment covers Alaska’s first-quarter pretax loss related to the accident.

Alaska says some passengers avoided the airline after the blowout. And the airline had to spend money to return its Max 9s to service after they were grounded for three weeks following the accident.