Following nearly three years of grounding for China's Boeing 737 MAXs, the country's largest operator is gearing up for its return to service. On Friday, China Southern completed a test flight with one of the airline's MAX 8 aircraft out of Guangzhou for the first time in 2022.

MAXs back in the air without passengers

The plane flew from the carrier's headquarters at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and back again without any passengers. According to Reuters, the flight lasted precisely three hours and 33 minutes. China Southern has taken delivery of 24 MAX 8 aircraft thus far and is expecting delivery of another 43.

Meanwhile, Hainan Airlines, based out of Haikou Meilan International Airport (HAK), has 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in its fleet. The carrier also recently operated a MAX flight on January 9th, from Taiyuan, where some of the fleet has been parked, back to Haikou. This took two hours and 52 minutes.

The resurgence of the MAX onto Chinese passenger schedules is imminent, with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) having approved the design changes Boeing has made to the model late last year. At the beginning of December 2021, the administration issued an Airworthiness Directive clearing the way for the model's return, although it is yet to recertify it for regular airline traffic.

Hainan Airlines 737 MAX 8
Photo: Windmemories via Wikimedia Commons

Most MAXs at the time of grounding

China was the first country to ban the 737 MAX on March 11th, 2019, one day after the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. At the time, China had the most MAX aircraft in service globally with 96. In the US, the FAA first issued a continued Airworthiness Directive on March 11th.

However, after establishing similarities with the Lion Air Flight 610 crash in October the year before, the FAA issued an Emergency Order of Prohibition of the type on March 13th. The US then had 73 active MAXs. Canada had 39 and India 21.

By now, 175 countries have allowed the MAX to return to service, and China remains the final larger market holdout. Political tensions between Washington and Beijing are said to complicate matters, increasing the delay of an official recertification from the CAAC.

As Allegiant indicated a need for family flexibility, it ordered two variants of the MAX family. Photo: Allegiant

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Renewed confidence for Boeing's narrowbody

Boeing received 79 new orders for planes in December last year. About two-thirds of those were for the 737 MAX family, with low-cost carrier Allegiant Air placing a firm order for 50 jets, and options for just as many more.

The previously all-Airbus operator's switch can be seen as a significant vote of confidence and feather in the hat for Boeing following a few years dogged by the MAX's grounding, the delay to the 777X program, and quality control issues with the 787 Dreamliner. China recertifying the MAX would certainly not hurt the company either.

Do you think there are political reasons behind China's delay in recertifying the MAX? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.