Boeing 737 MAX series passenger aircraft delivery in China reportedly delayed again
Following an accident involving a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines earlier this month, the plan to resume delivery of 737 MAX series aircraft to China has been delayed once again. China Southern Airlines, which was set to receive delivery of the 737 MAX series aircraft in January, plans to conduct additional safety inspections on the aircraft, according to reports.
The delay comes as China’s aviation regulator instructed domestic airlines to conduct preventive safety inspections of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The 737 MAX 9 aircraft involved in the recent incident has not yet obtained China’s domestic airworthiness certificate, and China Airlines does not currently have the 737 MAX 9 aircraft in its fleet.
Boeing had recently delivered a 787-9 Dreamliner to Juneyao Airlines, marking the first time in over four years that the company had resumed deliveries of passenger aircraft to the Chinese market. The 737 MAX series aircraft had been grounded in China since March 2019 following two consecutive air crashes, lasting nearly four years.
While the grounding order has been lifted and the 737 MAX series passenger aircraft resumed passenger operation in mainland China on January 13, the resumption of new orders and deliveries of the aircraft has been delayed.
The recent incident with the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft of Alaska Airlines, where an emergency door fell off during a flight, led to the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger aircraft operated within the United States. Regulators and airlines around the world also announced grounding of the aircraft for safety inspections.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced it would extend the grounding order of Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger aircraft for a new round of safety inspections. The agency also stated that it would significantly strengthen supervision of Boeing and review the decision to delegate some powers to the company, considering transferring some powers to an independent third party.
Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker stated there are “significant problems” with the Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger plane and that the agency believes there are other manufacturing issues with Boeing.
The delay in resuming deliveries of the 737 MAX series passenger aircraft in China and the concerns raised by regulators in the United States are yet another setback for Boeing as the company works to regain trust and resume normal operations following a string of issues with its aircraft.