Boeing 737 MAX lands in China amid uncertainty over return, first for Chinese customer since 2019
- A Boeing 737 MAX meant for China Eastern Airlines subsidiary Shanghai Airlines had been stuck on the ground in Guam since March 15 due to a minor technical issue
- It comes more than three weeks after the first MAX bound for a Chinese customer since a 2019 grounding began its journey to Boeing’s completion plant in Zhoushan
A Boeing 737 MAX meant for China Eastern Airlines subsidiary Shanghai Airlines flew from Guam to Shanghai on Thursday, flight tracking websites showed, amid uncertainty over when the model will resume flying in China.
The plane, painted in Shanghai Airlines livery, had been stuck on the ground in Guam since March 15 due to a minor technical issue. It landed at 12.02pm Shanghai local time, tracking websites showed.
Boeing said it was bringing the plane to its facility in Zhoushan to be closer to its customer and support a smooth and convenient delivery process.
“The airplane will be delivered only when the customer is ready,” Boeing said in a statement.
China Eastern did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
While that model is the predecessor to the MAX, analysts have expressed concern it could set back Boeing’s efforts to regain ground in the world’s biggest aircraft market and deliver more than 140 737 MAX jets already constructed for Chinese customers.
China Eastern has grounded all 223 of its 737-800 planes as a precaution while the crash is investigated.
Chinese authorities are leading the investigation, but the US National Transportation Safety Board is helping them to read the plane’s black boxes.
Depending on the results of the probe, China Eastern risks consequences including fines, aircraft groundings and unfavourable treatment when applying for new routes and airport slots, Morningstar analyst Cheng Weng said.
China Eastern has not released any forecast of when it expects MAX deliveries to resume, though rival China Southern Airlines said last week it could take some of the planes this year.