(Updates with latest events)

March 20 (Reuters) - The latest black eye for Boeing's ( BA )

top-selling 737 MAX aircraft occurred in January when a

cabin panel blowout forced an Alaska Airlines flight to

make an emergency landing.

U.S. regulators briefly grounded certain planes for safety

checks, a move less severe than the grounding of all MAX-family

jets worldwide nearly five years ago following a pair of fatal

crashes.

Here is a timeline of recent issues surrounding Boeing's ( BA )

MAX planes:

OCTOBER 2018: A Lion Air MAX plane crashes in Indonesia, killing

all 189 people on board.

NOVEMBER 2018: The FAA and Boeing ( BA ) say they are evaluating the

need for software or design changes to 737 MAX jets following

the Lion Air crash.

MARCH 2019: An Ethiopian Airlines MAX crashes, killing all 157

people on board. China's aviation regulator becomes the first in

the world to ground the MAX, followed by others including the

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

APRIL 2019: The FAA forms an international team to review the

safety of the 737 MAX. Boeing ( BA ) cuts monthly production by nearly

20%.

JULY 2019: Boeing ( BA ) posts its largest ever quarterly loss.

SEPTEMBER 2019: Boeing's ( BA ) board of directors creates a permanent

safety committee to oversee development, manufacturing and

operation of its aircraft.

OCTOBER 2019: Boeing ( BA ) fires Kevin McAllister, the top executive

of its commercial airplanes division.

DECEMBER 2020: The company fires CEO Dennis Muilenburg in the

wake of the twin crashes.

JANUARY 2020: Boeing ( BA ) suspends 737 production, its biggest

assembly-line halt in more than 20 years.

MAY 2020: Boeing ( BA ) resumes 737 MAX production at a "low rate."

JUNE 2020: Boeing ( BA ) begins a series of long-delayed flight tests

of its redesigned 737 MAX with regulators at the controls.

SEPTEMBER 2020: An 18-month investigation by a U.S. House of

Representatives panel finds Boeing ( BA ) failed in its design and

development of the MAX as well as its transparency with the FAA,

and that the FAA failed in oversight and certification.

NOVEMBER 2020: The U.S. FAA lifts the grounding order, allowing

the 737 MAX to fly again.

DECEMBER 2020: Congress passes legislation to reform how the FAA

certifies new airplanes, including requiring manufacturers to

disclose certain safety-critical information to the FAA.

JANUARY 2021: The European Union Aviation Safety Agency approves

the MAX's return to service in Europe.

MARCH 2021: China's aviation regulator says major safety

concerns with the MAX needed to be "properly addressed" before

conducting flight tests.

APRIL 2021: Boeing ( BA ) halts 737 MAX deliveries after electrical

problems re-ground part of the fleet.

NOVEMBER 2021: Current and former Boeing company directors reach

a $237.5 million settlement with shareholders to settle lawsuits

over safety oversight of the 737 MAX.

OCTOBER 2022: The FAA tells Boeing ( BA ) that some key documents

submitted as part of the certification review of the 737 MAX 7

are incomplete and others need a reassessment.

DECEMBER 2022: Congress agrees to extend a deadline for new

standards for modern cockpit alerts stemming from the 2020

legislation after intense lobbying from Boeing ( BA ).

APRIL 2023: Boeing ( BA ) pauses deliveries of some 737 MAXs to deal

with a new supplier quality problem involving non-compliant

fittings.

JULY 2023: Boeing's ( BA ) first delivery of the 737 MAX 7 is delayed

to 2024.

AUGUST 2023: Boeing ( BA ) identifies a new 737 MAX supplier quality

problem involving improperly drilled holes on the aft pressure

bulkhead.

SEPTEMBER 2023: Boeing 737 MAX deliveries fall to their lowest

levels since August 2021.

DECEMBER 2023: Boeing ( BA ) makes its first direct delivery of a 787

Dreamliner to China since 2019, seen as a precursor to China

potentially unfreezing deliveries of the 737 MAX.

JANUARY 2024: A mid-air cabin blowout compels Alaska Air ( ALK ) to

perform an emergency landing of its recently acquired 737 MAX 9

aircraft, prompting the FAA to ground 171 of these jets and

initiate an investigation. The FAA also bars Boeing ( BA ) from

increasing MAX output, but lifts the grounding of MAX-9s once

inspections were completed.

FEBRUARY 2024: The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board

(NTSB) published its preliminary report on the Alaska Air ( ALK )

incident involving a Boeing 737 MAX jet. According to the

investigation, the door panel that flew off the jet mid-flight

appeared to be missing four key bolts.

MARCH 2024: The FAA's 737 MAX production

audit

found multiple instances where Boeing ( BA ) and Spirit

AeroSystems ( SPR ) allegedly failed to comply with

manufacturing quality control requirements. This came days after

Boeing ( BA )

said

it was in preliminary talks to buy Spirit.

The ongoing crisis may mean Boeing ( BA ) will need more time

to hit key financial targets for coming years, its CFO warned.

(Reporting by David Gaffen; Editing by Leslie Adler, Maju

Samuel and Devika Syamnath)