L’American aircraft manufacturer Boeing getting ready to resume deliveries of its 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft to chinese airlines after a four-year hiatus, reports financial agency Bloomberg.
Deliveries are expected to take place in the coming weeks, with the first delivery being for China Southern Airlineswhich is also the first Chinese airline to return its 737 MAX to service in January 2023 after Chinese authorities lifted single-aisle flight restrictions in place since March 2019. China was the first country to ground the 737 MAX following two fatal accidents.
“Regarding deliveries (of 737 MAX), we will be ready to deliver our customers when the time comes“, Boeing said in a statement. The exact delivery schedule to China is still being finalized and will depend on customer readiness as well as potential repairs for a new manufacturing defect revealed last week: improper mounting holes drilled in the bulkhead of rear pressurization of some 737 MAX aircraft.
Boeing has stored 85 undelivered 737 MAXs destined for China and found buyers for another 55 that were originally built for Chinese customers, according to Bloomberg, Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun said as quoted by Bloomberg .
In recent weeks, Boeing has removed two 737 MAX-8s from storage that were to be delivered to China Southern Airlines. On August 16, one of the planes took off from the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, to a facility in the Mohave Desert, California, where it is being repainted. A second 737 MAX-8 was sent Aug. 22 to Boeing Field, south of Seattle, where 737 MAX transfers typically take place.
