Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft Resume US Passenger Flights World News

Boeing 737 MAX jets have resumed passenger flights in the US for the first time since a 20-month safety ban was lifted last month.

American Airlines Flight 718, carrying about 100 passengers, landed at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday after departing from Miami that same day.

The airline and aircraft maker Boeing have tried to reassure the public about the safety of the 737 MAX after US regulators authorized the resumption of flights in November.

MAX airlines were grounded in March 2019 for 20 months after two fatal accidents in five months, in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killed a total of 346 people.

In both crashes, the system caused the nose of the aircraft to be repeatedly pushed down due to faulty sensor readings, and the pilots were unable to regain control.

That was lifted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last month after Boeing agreed to software updates and new safety precautions on a flight control system linked in both accidents.

The flight comes after a series of actions by the airline, including flight control updates, maintenance work, new pilot training, and meetings with flight crews to explain Boeing’s changes and address concerns.

American is the third airline to resume flights worldwide after Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes and Grupo Aeroméxico previously in December. All three have said that customers will have the opportunity to change flights if they feel uncomfortable with the MAX aircraft.

It currently has 31 737 MAX aircraft after receiving seven more aircraft following the lifting of the safety ban.

The COVID-19 crisis has pushed the airline industry into its worst crisis, with hundreds of planes on the ground and demand hovering around 30% of 2019 levels.

Airlines are also postponing deliveries of 737 MAX aircraft due to the pandemic.

Boeing has lost billions during the grounding because it has failed to deliver new planes to customers and orders for planes have plummeted.