Boeing 737 Max Makes 1st Domestic China Flight Since March 2019

A Boeing Co. 737 MAX made its first passenger flight in China in nearly four years on Friday, marking a major milestone in the US planemaker's attempt to rebuild its business in the world's second-largest aviation market, Sophie Yu and Jamie Freed reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: The China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. domestic flight from Guangzhou to Zhengzhou departed at 0445 GMT (12:45 p.m. in Manila) using a MAX plane.

The China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. domestic flight from Guangzhou to Zhengzhou departed at 0445 GMT (12:45 p.m. in Manila) using a MAX plane, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

The best-selling Boeing model was grounded in March 2019 after fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, but returned to service around the world starting in late 2020 after modifications to the aircraft and pilot training.

"Boeing continues to work with global regulators and customers to safely return the 737 MAX to service worldwide," the planemaker said. The company's shares were down about 0.5% in US premarket trading. China is the last major market to resume flying the MAX amid ongoing trade tensions with the US.

Foreign airlines began flying the MAX to China in October 2022, in a sign the first country to ground the model after the crashes was loosening its policies.

Chinese airlines had 97 of the narrow body planes before the grounding, according to Cirium data in 2019. China Southern is the biggest Chinese customer for the model, with 50 on order, of which 34 have been delivered.

Boeing in October said it had another 138 planes manufactured for Chinese carriers that were in the United States waiting to be delivered. It said it had begun remarketing the jets to other carriers given there were no concrete signs that Chinese airlines would accept the planes in the near term.

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