A Boeing 737 MAX operated by MIAT Mongolian Airlines has recently landed in Guangzhou, China, marking the model’s first commercial flight to China in almost four years. The type was grounded in China in March 2019.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane, registered EI-MNG, took off for a flight OM235 to China on October 10, 2022. According to flight history found on Flightradar24.com, the jet departed from Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) in Mongolia at 8.47 p.m. (UTC) and touched down at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) in China at around 12.15 a.m. (UTC).
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China was the first country to ground the MAX aircraft after two deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia claimed 346 lives in 2018 and 2019. The country is one of the last major states to have not yet approved the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for commercial use.
In September 2022, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) organized a meeting with Boeing in Zhoushan to discuss the MAX’s return.
While the CAAS reviewed changes made by the manufacturer and evaluated a number of additional improvements, the regulatory body did not issue a date for the aircraft to be returned to Chinses skies.
As of July 2022, Boeing’s backlog of undelivered MAX planes stood at approximately 290, half of which were built to be delivered to Chinese airlines.
However, on September 15, 2022, Boeing announced plans to remarket some 737 MAX aircraft built for Chinese customers but that cannot be delivered because the country’s aviation regulator has not cleared the planes to fly.