American Airlines will make its first commercial flight with a Boeing 737 MAX in the United States on Tuesday since 2019. The stalled Boeing 737 MAX plane has been grounded for months after two fatal accidents and only recently received the green light from the US aviation authorities.
The American Airlines plane took off in Miami at 10.40 a.m. local time (4.40 p.m. Belgian time), according to the Flightradar website, a few minutes later than planned, and was expected three hours later at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. There are about a hundred passengers on board. Then the return trip – fully booked – is included on the program. The plane will also fly back and forth between Miami and New York on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The 737 Max was decommissioned worldwide in March 2019, after two aircraft crashed within a few months. 346 people were killed. Since then, a series of modifications have been made to the aircraft and the pilots have had to go through additional training. In November, the FAA lifted the US flight ban.
Elsewhere in the world
Brazilian airline Goal became the first company in the world to operate a commercial flight with a Boeing 737 MAX between Sao Paulo and Porta Alegre at the beginning of this month, after approval by local aviation authority ANAC. That trip went unhindered.
The European Union and Canada may give the green light in 2021. It is not yet known what China will do.
Also read: Ryanair orders 75 Boeing 737 Max planes
