JAKARTA – Indonesia temporarily grounded three Boeing 737 Max 9 planes, operated by Lion Air, on Jan 6 despite different configurations from the plane that had to make an emergency landing in the United States the week before, the Transport Ministry said on Jan 8.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing jets installed with the same panel that tore off an eight-week-old Alaska Airlines jet on Jan 5, forcing an emergency landing with a gap in the fuselage.

The door plug blew off the left side of the Alaska Airlines jet following take-off from Portland, Oregon, en route to Ontario, California, and forced pilots to turn back and land safely with all 171 passengers and six crew members on board.

Three Boeing 737 Max 9 planes, the only ones Indonesia has, were grounded starting from January 6 until further notice, said Ms Adita Irawati, a Transport Ministry spokeswoman.

The Lion Air planes had a “mid-cabin emergency exit door type II” whereas the Alaska Airlines plane had a “mid-exit door plug”, Ms Adita said.

"This means the system in the mid-section of emergency doors were functional and could be used for evacuation," she added.

Ms Adita said the ministry will coordinate with the FAA, Boeing and Lion Air to monitor the situation, adding that "operational safety will be our priority".

A Lion Air spokesperson said the airline is conducting further inspection of the planes to ensure the emergency door mechanism works normally. REUTERS