DUBAI, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Airline flydubai said on Sunday that the three Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes in its fleet were not affected, after U.S. regulators temporarily grounded 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 jetliners for safety checks, the United Arab Emirates carrier told Dubai-based Khaleej Times newspaper.

"Following The Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on January 6, 2024, we can confirm that the three Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft in our fleet are not affected," a flydubai spokesperson told the newspaper.

"Flydubai operates Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft with a deactivated mid-aft exit door configuration, which is not referenced in the directive." (Reporting by Nayera Abdallah Editing by Tomasz Janowski)