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Boeing 737 MAX plane conducts China test flight as US manufacturer pushes for return
- Chinese flight tracking app VariFlight Pro showed the China Southern Airlines’ plane took off and landed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
- The 737 MAX test flight is one of the first by a major Chinese airline since aviation authorities in the country grounded the model in March 2019
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A Boeing 737 MAX plane was recorded taking off and landing in southern China on Friday as the American manufacturer pushes to resume commercial flights with the model after a ban of nearly three years.
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Chinese flight tracking app VariFlight Pro showed the China Southern Airlines’ plane with flight number CZ2007 took off from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 10.24am before landing again at 1.57pm.
FATIII Aviation, a Chinese aviation content creator, also said on Twitter that China Southern Airlines, the largest operator of the 737 MAX model in the country, conducted its first test flight since the plane was grounded over safety concerns in March 2019.
Boeing Asia Pacific Aviation Services, China Southern Airlines and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport did not reply to requests for comment.
The flight follows similar tests in Shanghai last August and by Hainan Airlines earlier this month.
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The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued an airworthiness directive for the 737 MAX in December last year, saying it expected its return to service by the beginning of 2022.
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