China receives first Boeing 737 Max in nearly 5 years

On January 27, the 737 Max was delivered to China Southern Airlines - ending nearly 5 years of China freezing imports of this Boeing aircraft model.

The 737 Max 8 departed Seattle Boeing Airport in Washington state midweek for delivery to China Southern Airlines. According to data from FlightRadar24, the plane stopped in Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Islands before landing in Guangzhou.

The last time a 737 Max 8 was delivered to a Chinese airline was in March 2019. Reuters assessed that the first Chinese airline to receive the 737 Max in nearly five years could be an indication that dozens of previously ordered aircraft could continue to be delivered to the country's airlines in the near future. According to aviation data provider Cirium, Chinese airlines have ordered at least 209 Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

China was the first country to ban the 737 Max 8 after two crashes that killed nearly 350 people in 2018 and 2019. Although most countries have lifted the ban on the 737 Max 8, China has not received more of Boeing's narrow-body aircraft for nearly five years because of increasing tensions between Beijing and Washington on issues ranging from technology to national security.

China’s green light is a positive sign for Boeing, which is in a difficult period after the door panel failure on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9. On January 26, Boeing CEO Stan Deal had to apologize for the incident.

Last week, 10,000 Boeing employees involved in the 737 Max 9 production line had to stop work for a day to discuss safety measures. Currently, no Chinese airlines use this aircraft model.

Tu Anh (according to Reuters)

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