Chinese Aviation Regulator Approves Boeing 737 MAX After 3-Year Suspension - Reports

Chinese Aviation Regulator Approves Boeing 737 MAX After 3-Year Suspension - Reports

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has recognized Boeing 737 MAX aircraft as suitable for operation after not using it for nearly three years due to two deadly plane crashes, media reported on Thursday

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2021) The Civil Aviation Administration of China has recognized Boeing 737 MAX aircraft as suitable for operation after not using it for nearly three years due to two deadly plane crashes, media reported on Thursday.

Two Boeing 737 MAX passenger airlines have crashed, one in Indonesia in October 2018 and the other in Ethiopia in March 2019, killing a combined 346 people. The use of the 737 MAX was suspended worldwide. Boeing admitted that in both cases, there was a malfunction in the maneuverability enhancement system before the planes crashed.

According to China Aviation Daily, the country's aviation administration on Thursday issued an airworthiness directive for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. However, airlines cannot immediately resume operation of the aircraft in China, since they need first to carry out plane modifications and retrain pilots, the media said.

The directive, in particular, provides guidance on what technical revisions must be made by air carriers before the Boeing 737 MAX returns to service. At the same time, the document does not indicate when Beijing will lift the ban on the use of this aircraft model in its airspace.

Two years ago, 13 Chinese airlines suspended flights on 97 aircraft of the 737 MAX series. Those included China Southern Airlines, Air China, Hainan Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines.

The ban on flights on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft has been in effect for over two years in most countries of the world. Over the past nine months, the MAX series of aircraft has been granted permission to fly to the United States, the European Union, Singapore, Malaysia and several other states.