(Reuters) -United Airlines will receive compensation from planemaker Boeing for financial damages incurred in the first quarter due to the grounding of 737 MAX 9 aircraft, the carrier said on Wednesday.
U.S. regulators had in January grounded some Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft for about three weeks for safety checks after a cabin panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines-operated MAX 9 jet.
The incident had forced United Airlines — a prominent Boeing customer — to temporarily suspend service on all 79 of its 737 MAX 9 aircraft, which resulted in a $200 million hit for the airline in the first quarter.
United Airlines said in a filing on Wednesday that a confidential agreement with Boeing will provide it with “credit memos” for future purchases to make up for the grounding damages and the rescheduling of deliveries.
A credit memo is an official written acknowledgement that money is owed back to a customer.
As of Feb. 5, 78 of the 79 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by United Airlines had returned…