Following Alaska Airlines' emergency landing, the FAA temporarily grounds a number of Boeing 737 MAX 9

Following a "in-flight departure of a mid-cabin door plug" on an Alaska Airlines flight Friday, the FAA is temporarily suspending certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

Alaska Airlines announced Friday that its Boeing 737-9 fleet was temporarily grounded after an aircraft "experienced an incident," landing in Portland, Oregon.

Six staff members and 171 passengers were on Flight 1282 to Ontario, California, the airline reported.

According to a LiveATC.net transcript, the pilots requested an emergency landing after the cabin depressurized shortly after takeoff. A social media photo showed a fuselage hole near a passenger seat.

"The safety of our guests and employees is always our primary priority," Alaska said in a statement, "so while this type of occurrence is rare, our flight crew was trained and prepared to safely manage the situation."

CEO Ben Minicucci called the grounding "precautionary," saying the 65 planes will return "only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections."

"We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred tonight, and will share updates as more information is available," stated Minicucci.

The FAA grounded several Boeing 737 MAX 9s flown by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory Saturday for inspection. The FAA estimates 171 planes worldwide will be affected.

The airline canceled 112 flights (15%) on Saturday.

The aircraft manufacturer also strongly supported the FAA's decision "to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane."

"Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers," Boeing stated in a tweet.