Lifestyle Travel Entire Alaska Airlines Fleet Grounded Temporarily Amid Technical Issue Affecting All Planes The FAA announced the ground stop order was issued on April 17 at approximately 10:30 a.m. ET due to an issue involving the airline’s system that calculates weight and balance By Natalia Senanayake Natalia Senanayake Natalia Senanayake is an Editorial Assistant, Lifestyle at PEOPLE. She covers all things travel and home, from celebrities' luxury mansions to breaking travel news. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 17, 2024 12:43PM EDT Close Alaska Airlines plane . Photo: Getty All Alaska Airlines planes were grounded Wednesday Morning due to a technical issue, according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alert. According to the airline, the ground stop order was issued at approximately 10:30 a.m. ET on April 17. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Alaska Airlines said, ”This morning we experienced an issue while performing an upgrade to the system that calculates our weight and balance. Out of an abundance of caution, we requested a ground stop for all Alaska and Horizon flights, which was instituted at approximately 7:30am PT. “ It has now been lifted as of 11:30 a.m. ET. Alaska Airlines Passengers Who Survived Mid-Air Blow Out Suing Airline, Boeing for $1 Billion The airline explained that “the issue was mitigated" and they have "begun releasing flights" though passengers should expect residual delays To check the status of a flight, they suggest visiting alaskaair.com or the Alaska App before heading to the airport. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The order comes after the airline experienced a harrowing incident in January that resulted in all of their Boeing Max-9 jets to be temporarily grounded. Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was heading to Ontario, Calif. from Portland when it experienced a mid-air blowout in the plane’s fuselage. Videos and photos captured by passengers on the flight revealed a gaping hole in the side of the plane that was once the door plug. All passengers and crew members made it safely back to Portland after the plane’s emergency landing on Friday, Jan. 5. Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane. Stephen Brashear/Getty Following the incident, the Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said, "I am so sorry for what you experienced. I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants. We have teams on the ground in Portland assisting passengers and are working to support guests who are traveling in the days ahead.” He also confirmed that the airline was “temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft.” The planes were officially cleared to return for service on Friday, Jan. 26. Boeing Whistleblower Reportedly Claims 787 Planes Could Break Apart Mid-Air Due to Construction Flaws In March, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced he was officially stepping down from his position following a series of mishaps involving the aircraft manufacturing company. Calhoun addressed the “watershed” Alaska Airlines blowout in his message to employees. “We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company,” he said. He continued, “I have been considering for some time, in discussion with our board of directors, the right time for a CEO transition at Boeing. I want to share with you that I have decided this will be my last year as CEO of our great company, and I have notified the board of that decision.”