Boeing 737 Max set for first China passenger flight since 2019

China Southern Airlines Co. has added the Boeing Co. 737 Max back to its schedule in what would be the model’s first commercial passenger flight in China since regulators grounded it in 2019. 

The airline plans to deploy the Max from Sunday on at least one daily roundtrip from Guangzhou to both Wuhan and Zhengzhou, according to its booking system and online travel company Trip.com Group Ltd. 

China was the first to ground the Max in March 2019 following a deadly crash involving the plane in Ethiopia just months after another tragedy in Indonesia. The disasters plunged Boeing into crisis and forced the US manufacturer to make fixes to the jet, including to software that was blamed for forcing it into nosedives. While other regulators eventually allowed the Max to return, China held off, which was a blow to Boeing given the importance of the huge market. 

Chinese regulators approved the Max to return to service in December last year, saying they were satisfied by software revisions. But, amid strained relations between Beijing and Washington, Chinese airlines didn’t rush the jet back to commercial service. 

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 and China’s VariFlight show Guangzhou-based China Southern has been flying the Max this week, likely in test flights.

China Southern didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Boeing said in a statement it continues to “work with global regulators and our customers to safely return the 737 Max to service worldwide.” 

Following Boeing’s earnings Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun downplayed prospects for the Max’s return to China, saying there were no signals of deliveries in the near term. With fresh orders at a standstill, Boeing has started remarketing its Max planes lined up for Chinese airlines to other carriers. 

Meanwhile, Boeing’s rival manufacturer Airbus SE secured a huge order for nearly 300 aircraft from Chinese carriers over summer, followed by another from China Southern unit Xiamen Airlines Co., which previously only operated Boeing planes. 

A clue that the Max might soon return to China came on Oct. 10, when Mongolian Airlines became the first carrier to fly the Max into the country since the grounding.