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Commercial passenger flights resumed on Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft for the first time in 20 months, after Brazilian airline Gol resumed operations using the aircraft.
The aircraft was grounded globally in March 2019 after two fatal air crashes in the space of six months, in which a total of 346 people were killed.
US regulators approved the return to the skies of the US company’s aircraft, which was previously a best-seller, in November.
Gol, Brazil’s largest national airline, had previously announced that it would reintroduce the 737 Max on routes to and from the company’s hub in São Paulo.
The plane completed an 864-kilometer (537-mile) flight from São Paulo to Porto Alegre on Wednesday, with a travel time of one hour and 16 minutes, according to website Flightradar24.com, which tracks global flight data.
Gol declined to comment on how many passengers were aboard the 737 Max’s first commercial passenger flight in nearly two years.
All 189 passengers and crew aboard Lion Air Flight 610 died in October 2018 when the plane crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta. Less than five months later, in March 2019, all 157 people aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 were killed when it crashed minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa, causing a global stoppage of the 737 Max fleet.
Faulty sensors and a design flaw that repeatedly pushed the nose off the aircraft were to blame for the two incidents.
After months of safety evaluations, a design update and test flights, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) removed restrictions on the 737 Max last month, followed by other regulators, including Europe and Brazil. .
Gol’s flight is a critical milestone for Boeing, which has spent cash and cut 30,000 jobs in recent months as it faced the dual challenge of shutting down global aviation during the coronavirus pandemic and grounding the 737 Max, which amounted to more. of $ 20 billion (£ 15 billion) in direct costs.
Gol has seven 737 Max planes in its fleet, and another 95 orders with Boeing.
The airline’s chief executive, Paulo Kakinoff, welcomed the return of the plane in early December.
“The Max is one of the most efficient aircraft in aviation history and the only one that undergoes a complete recertification process, ensuring the highest levels of safety and reliability,” said Kakinoff.
However, the airline will allow customers who do not wish to fly in a 737 Max to change their ticket. American Airlines is expected to be the next operator to restart flights with the aircraft on December 29.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest short-haul carrier, has ordered a total of 210 aircraft that its CEO, Michael O’Leary, has described as a “game changer” for the airline’s business model due to its efficiency of fuel.
