(Updates with latest events)

March 20 (Reuters) - The latest black eye for Boeing's 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 MAX planes:

OCTOBER 2018: A Lion Air MAX plane crashes in Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board.

NOVEMBER 2018: The FAA and Boeing 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 cuts monthly production by nearly 20%. JULY 2019: Boeing posts its largest ever quarterly loss.

SEPTEMBER 2019: Boeing's board of directors creates a permanent safety committee to oversee development, manufacturing and operation of its aircraft.

OCTOBER 2019: Boeing 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 suspends 737 production, its biggest assembly-line halt in more than 20 years.

MAY 2020: Boeing resumes 737 MAX production at a "low rate." JUNE 2020: Boeing 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 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.