Boeing Held Talks With China Regulator on 737 Max Comeback

Boeing Co. and China’s aviation authority held a meeting on Sept. 14 to evaluate the 737 Max aircraft, which hasn’t been fully approved to return to commercial service in the country despite flying again in most other markets.

The talks were held in Zhoushan in eastern China, according to CAAC News, the media arm of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Boeing has a completion and delivery center in Zhoushan, to the south of Shanghai. 

The regulator is expected to release an updated report on the Max after issues raised at the meeting are resolved. That will signal the completion of the process required for the Boeing jet to be reintroduced in China, the CAAC said. No timeline was provided. 

China was the first nation to ground the Max following a 2019 crash in Ethiopia, about five months after another disaster involving the model in Indonesia. Both crashes were linked to software that overwhelmed pilots and pushed the planes into nosedives.

The lifting of the ban on its best-selling jet in its biggest overseas market would be a boost to Boeing, though tensions between Beijing and Washington are still potentially problematic. Trade disputes prompted Boeing to shop some jets earmarked for China to other buyers, Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun said last week.