Southampton Airport has sought to reassure passengers after part of an airplane blew out in mid air.

Alaska Airlines has grounded all its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, hours after a window and a piece of fuselage on one plane blew out in mid-air, forcing an emergency landing in Oregon.

The incident occurred shortly after take-off from Portland and the gaping hole caused the cabin to depressurise.

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Flight data showed the plane climbed to 16,000ft before returning to Portland International Airport. The airline said the plane landed safely with 174 passengers and six crew members.

In the wake of this incident, AGS Airports, which owns the Southampton site, has confirmed whether or not any Boeing 737 Max 9 planes fly to or from the airport.

A spokesman said that to the best of their knowledge, none of these planes use the airport.

One of the airport's main airlines, Easyjet, uses Airbus aircraft rather than a Boeing 737 Max 9 fleet, as does Aer Lingus, which also flies from the airport.

Loganair uses Saab 340B planes and ATR turboprops.

British Airways does use Boeing planes, but those in its fleet are Boeing 777s or Boeing 787s, rather than the 737 Max 9 model.

Alaska Airlines provided no immediate information about injuries, but KPTV reported that according to the Port of Portland, the fire department responded and treated minor injuries at the scene. One person was taken for more treatment but was not seriously hurt.

The plane was diverted about six minutes after taking off, according to flight tracking data from the FlightAware website.

The pilot told Portland air traffic controllers the plane had an emergency, was depressurised and needed to return to the airport, according to a recording by the website LiveATC.net.

A passenger sent KATU-TV in Portland a photo showing the hole in the side of the plane next to passenger seats. Video shared with the station showed people wearing oxygen masks and passengers clapping as the plane landed.

Passenger Evan Smith was on the flight and described the moment the blowout occurred, saying: “You heard a big loud bang to the left rear. A whooshing sound and all the oxygen masks deployed instantly and everyone got those on.”

He said a boy and his mother were sitting in the row where the window blew out, adding that the boy’s shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating an event on the flight and would post updates when they are available. The Federal Aviation Administration also said it would investigate.

The Boeing 737-9 Max involved in the incident received its certification two months ago, according to online FAA records.

The plane had been on 145 flights since entering commercial service on November 11, said FlightRadar24, another tracking service. The flight from Portland was the aircraft’s third of the day.

Boeing said it was aware of the incident, working to gather more information and ready to support the investigation.

The Max is the newest version of Boeing’s 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle plane frequently used on US domestic flights. The plane went into service in May 2017.