China Southern Airlines has operated the first Boeing 737 MAX flight since the aircraft was grounded four years ago, becoming the first Chinese carrier to do so. Two 737 MAX flights departed from its hub at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport this morning, one bound for Zhengzhou Xingheng International Airport (CGO) and another for Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH).
China was among the first nations to ground the 737 MAX aircraft following the two fatal crashes leaving 346 people dead. Even though authorities have cleared the skies for 737 MAX, China has delayed its return due to strained China-US ties.
However, now with China lifting its zero-COVID policy and opening international borders for flights and upcoming Spring festival, travel demand is high and airlines are struggling to meet passenger demands. This could be one of the significant reasons behind the revival of B737 flights.
This development had definitely given a huge boost to Boeing, but its recovery in Chinese markets is still marred by obstacles, like the launch of COMAC C919 and Chinese operators preferring to place orders with Airbus.
As of now, China Southern Airlines remains the only Chinese carrier to have scheduled Boeing 737 MAX flights. The airline has 24 B737 MAX 8s in its fleet and has an order of 44 aircraft.
Air China has 16 while China Eastern Airlines has 7, B737 Max aircraft but there is no official announcement of its entry-into-service.