Boeing 737 Max Back Flying To China Age Jeda For Four Years

Illustration of the Boeing 737 Max Mongolian Airlines fleet. (Wikimedia Commons/T.Voekler)

JAKARTA - Boeing 737 Max's first commercial flight appears to have returned to China for the first time in nearly four years, a major breakthrough for the best-selling jet of US aircraft makers.

A MiAT Mongolian Airlines flight that operates a round trip between Ulaanbaatar and Guangzhou landed in southern China City at 8:18 a.m. local time on Monday, according to FlightRadar24 data.

Mongolian airlines have scheduled and registered flights to depart again, using 737 Max, on October 17 and October 24. Both trips are available for booking on airline websites.

"We continue to work with global regulators and our customers to safely return the 737 Max to services around the world," Boeing said in an emailed statement, refusing to comment further.

MIAT Mongolian Airlines could not immediately be reached for comment.

Boeing officials met with Chinese aviation regulators last month, to review pilot training criteria for Max's series jets, as a sign the aircraft maker is getting closer to securing all necessary approvals to regain Max and fly in China, the remaining major flight market has yet to allow the aircraft to fly back.

It is known that China was the first country to stop Max's flight in March 2019, delaying the lifting of the halt after US regulators lifted the ban by the end of 2020. Europe and other places followed suit in the following months.

Returning the 737 Max to the skies in China and continuing delivery is an important step, to help rebuild the Boeing balance sheet hit by Max's long flight ban and the COVID-19 pandemic.