Boeing 737 MAX Makes First Passenger Flight in China Since March 2019

BEIJING/SYDNEY—A Boeing Co. 737MAX was the first airline to fly passengers in China In almost four years, Friday.

According to FlightRadar24, the domestic flight of China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd from Guangzhou to Zhengzhou left at 0445 GMT. It was operated by a MAX plane.

After two fatal crashes in Indonesia, and Ethiopia, the most-sold Boeing model was grounded. It was then restored to service worldwide in late 2020.

“Boeing continues to work with global regulators and customers to safely return the 737 MAX to service worldwide,” The planemaker stated.

China is the last major country to fly the MAX amid ongoing trade tensions. This return is due to domestic travel demand rebounding after the Chinese regime abandoned zero COVID policies.

In October 2022, foreign airlines began flying MAX to China. This was a sign that China was beginning to loosen its policies after the crash.

China Southern planned a return of the 737 MAX commercial service in October 2022. But, they did not use it for the planned flights.

The airline did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Top Chinese Customer

Cirium data from 2019 shows that China had 97 of these narrowbody aircrafts in its fleet before the grounding. China Southern is the largest Chinese customer of the model with 50 orders, 34 of which have been fulfilled.

Boeing said in October that it had 138 more planes being manufactured for Chinese carriers and they were still in the United States awaiting delivery. The company stated it was remarketing the jets for other carriers as there were not any concrete signs that Chinese airlines would take the planes.

China’s domestic aviation market had been depressed in 2022 because of sporadic lockdowns amid COVID-19 outbreaks, but demand is rising now that COVID-19 controls have been abandoned.

Boeing has been lagging far behind Airbus SE in deliveries into the world’s biggest aircraft market, in large part because of the MAX grounding.

Boeing delivered eight aircraft to China in 2022 while Airbus delivered over 100.

Since 2017, Boeing has been practically exempted from new orders from China, while state-owned airlines placed a massive order for almost 300 Airbus planes last year.

The C919 narrowbody aircraft, made in China, poses a new challenge to both Western and Asian manufacturers. It was certified last year but it will take some time for production to ramp up.