Boeing 737 Max 9 planes GROUNDED by FAA after window blown out in mid-air horror on Alaska Airlines flight

US REGULATORS have announced they will order the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft after a window was ripped from a plane mid-flight.

The Federal Aviation Administration said some of the planes require immediate inspections before they can return to flight.

The UK's aviation and aerospace regulator also issued a statement following the FAA's announcement.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority wrote on X on Saturday night: "Following @FAANews' EAD, we can confirm there are no UK-registered 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The impact on UK operated aircraft and consumers is minimal.

"We have written to non-UK and foreign permit carriers to ask inspections have been undertaken prior to operation in UK airspace."

It comes after a window was ripped from a plane in mid-air, tearing the shirt off a child and sucking passengers' phones from their hands.

The Alaska Airlines flight, which left Portland, Oregon for Ontario, California at 4:40pm on Friday was plunged into chaos less than an hour into its journey.

Stunned passengers described seeing a large section of the plane blown out mid-air with dramatic pictures of the aftermath showing a gaping hole in its side.

The FAA said in a statement published to X on Saturday evening: "The FAA will order the temporary grounding of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by US airlines or in US territory.

"The Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) that will be issued shortly will require operators to inspect aircraft before further flight that do not meet the inspection cycles specified in the EAD. The required inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft.

"The EAD will affect approximately 171 airplanes worldwide."

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker added: "The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight.

"Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the
@NTSB’s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282."

Shocking  shared on TikTok captured the chaos which unfolded on Friday afternoon and showed passengers using emergency oxygen masks as the plane was still in the air.

The person who posted the clip wrote: "A part of the plane flew off not even 20 minutes into our flight."

Part of the missing plane was seen in the video with the night sky visible just a few feet from where people were sitting.

One passenger told Fox News affiliate  that a child had to be held in his seat by his mum as people lost their phones, which were sucked out of the plane.

Another child closest to the damage lost his shirt due to the violent depressurisation, the outlet was told.