The Boeing 737 MAX resumed a revenue flight to China this Monday, October 10. An aircraft of the model belonging to MIAT Mongolian Airlines took off from Ulaanbaatar and landed 3:40 hours later in Guangzhou, in southeastern China.
According to tracking data from FlightRadar24, MIAT’s single 737 MAX 8 registration EI-MNG performed flight OM235 in place of 737-800 aircraft.
Follow us:
The 737 MAX has not operated commercial flights in China since March 2019 when the country’s civil aviation authority ordered the Boeing jet to be grounded after two fatal accidents.
Although CAAC has approved its return to service in late 2021, no Chinese airlines have reactivated their 737 MAXs to date.
The apparent lack of interest in relying on Boeing’s single-aisle aircraft would have been motivated by political clashes between the US and China.
Faced with the impasse, Boeing said weeks ago that it will remarket some of the 737 MAXs it makes to Chinese customers. The manufacturer said in July that it had about 290 aircraft of the model ready for delivery, some of them to Chinese airlines.
In addition to not returning to operate the 737, China’s major airlines have avoided placing new orders with Boeing. Four months ago, Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines placed orders for 292 Airbus A320neo jets.
