If the Boeing 737 MAX is authorized to fly again in Europe and North America, the plane is still immobilized on the ground in China. According to the Chinese regulatory authority, the security of the device is still a major concern. Once these concerns are addressed, China will conduct extensive testing of this model before allowing it to fly again.
The 737 MAX had been grounded around the world since the spring of 2019 after two plane crashes in just a few months. In both cases, a safety system pushed the nose of the aircraft down repeatedly, even when it was not needed. Crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia have left several hundred dead. After the second disaster, China, an important market for Boeing, was the first country to no longer allow this model to fly. Since then, Chinese aircraft orders have all but dried up due to the no-fly zone for the 737 MAX and difficult trade relations with the United States.
Recently, Boeing had indicated that it expected the Chinese market to be the main growth engine of the aviation industry over the next 20 years. During this period, the country’s airlines are expected to purchase some 8,600 new planes, worth $ 1.4 trillion.