A China Southern Airlines Co Ltd flight on a Boeing Co 737 MAX took off on Friday, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed, marking the first passenger service on the model by a Chinese airline since March 2019.
The domestic flight from Guangzhou to Zhengzhou departed at 12:45 p.m. local time (0445 GMT), a major milestone in Boeing’s attempt to rebuild its business in the world’s second-largest aviation market.
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, with the exception of China and Russia, after modifications to the aircraft and pilot training. Russia still does not fly the 737 MAX domestically, Reuters reported.
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 despite ongoing trade tensions with the United States.
China Southern had scheduled a return to commercial service for the 737 MAX in October 2022 but did not use it on the planned flights.
Boeing and China Southern did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
