Czech budget airline Smartwings became the second in Europe to restart Boeing 737 MAX operations for commercial passenger services.
Smartwings Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, registered as OK-SWE, is ready to perform flight QS1152 from Prague Vaclav Havel Airport (PRG) on February 25, 2021. The aircraft is scheduled to land in Malaga Costa Del Sol Airport (MLG) in Spain at 7:45PM.
“Boeing #737MAX is returning to commercial operation today. We will welcome the first passengers on the line to Málaga, Spain,” Smartwings wrote on Twitter.
Za pár minut jdeme do vzduchu! #737MAX pic.twitter.com/jVKS3YR6kL
— Smartwings (@SmartwingsGroup) February 25, 2021
Currently, Smartwings has a fleet of seven Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, according to Planespotters.net data. In March 2019, they were parked at Prague Vaclav Havel Airport (PRG) after the worldwide grounding following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
On January 27, 2021, EASA issued the final Airworthiness Directive (AD) to unground the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in Europe.
On November 18, 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States became the first authority to recertify the Boeing 737 MAX. The EASA, Transport Canada (TC), Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) have also recertified the Boeing 737 MAX, allowing it to resume commercial service again.