Boeing to make airplane inspection recommendations

Boeing will make recommendations for inspecting its 737 planes after one was forced to make an emergency landing last week.

The Federal Aviation Administration mandated that all 737s be inspected after cracks were discovered in the fuselage of a Southwest Airlines plane.

Boeing said Tuesday that it was cooperating with the federal officials and Southwest, which grounded hundreds of flights this week as it inspected 79 737-300s in its fleet.

The inspections come after a large hole reportedly opened in the roof of a Southwest plane after it took off from Phoenix Friday night, forcing a quick landing at an Air Force base in Yuma, Ariz.

"Boeing is committed to ensuring safe flight and to supporting our customers," the company said in a statement provided to The Hill. "We continue to provide technical assistance to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board as it investigates the incident. Boeing also is assisting Southwest Airlines in its own decision to perform additional inspections on a portion of its airplanes."

Boeing said it would use the information from Southwest's 737 reviews to make recommendations for other airlines as they comply with the mandate that was issued by the FAA Monday.

"Based on information from the NTSB investigation and Southwest's inspections, Boeing is preparing a service bulletin that will recommend lap-joint inspections on certain 737-300/400/500 airplanes," the company said. "We also are working closely with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. This long-standing process, through which manufacturers, operators and regulators work together, helps ensure that the safety of the world's commercial jetliners continues at the highest levels."

There were 118 passengers and five Southwest employees aboard the plane that made the emergency landing. No one was injured in the incident.