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Boeing not yet facing clear skies in China even as deliveries resume, executive visits

  • Boeing Global president Brendan Nelson concluded a visit to Beijing on Tuesday, while deliveries of the troubled 737 Max jet to China also resumed this week

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China had been the first country to ground the 737 Max in March 2019 in response to two fatal plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, and it was the last major aviation market to lift the ban. Photo: Reuters
Frank Chenin Shanghai

A visit by a senior Boeing executive and the resumption of deliveries of its troubled 737 Max this week do not mean all is now well for the embattled American planemaker, as China’s aviation regulator is intently focused on “absolute safety”, at the behest of Beijing.

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The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), according to a source with knowledge of the matter, has discussed the safety of the embattled aircraft in several meetings in recent months and had asked Boeing executives to visit China for talks.

“The CAAC has always been closely following the recent developments related to the 737 Max and would maintain close contact with Boeing to ensure the absolute safety,” the source said, without elaborating.

The 737 Max had returned to service in China in January 2023 after being grounded by China’s aviation regulator for nearly four years following deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Boeing said on Tuesday it has resumed deliveries of the aircraft to China, a day after Boeing Global president Brendan Nelson attended meetings with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.
We must strengthen compliance management and ensure that aircraft are in good technical condition
Song Zhiyong, Civil Aviation Administration of China

China had paused deliveries of the narrowbody 737 Max in May due to concerns over batteries used in cockpit voice recorders in Boeing’s planes.

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