- The Boeing 737 Max has flown more than 2,700 passenger flights over 5,500 hours since November 2020.
- Five airlines currently fly passengers on the Max in the US, Canada, Brazil, Panama and Mexico.
- The European Union for Aviation Safety approved Max on Wednesday to allow passengers to fly.
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Boeing has come a long way between the 20-month nature of its 737 Max and now more than 2,700 flights and about 5,500 flight hours, the manufacturer announced on Wednesday.
“We have made significant progress this quarter with the 737 program,” said Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun. “It is the culmination of a comprehensive effort, including approximately 400,000 engineering hours, 1,400 test and check-ups and more than 3,000 flight hours completed in the aircraft.”
The Federal Aviation Administration made the Max fly again on November 18, with regulators in Latin America, Canada, and recently the European Union followed suit. The European Union for Aviation Safety gave Boeing’s restless planes the green light on Wednesday, which allowed airlines such as Ryanair, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Icelandair to resume the Max flight.
Middle Eastern, African and Asia Pacific countries remain the main outliers in the resumption of Max flights, with China in particular still awaiting re-certification. Calhoun said outstanding approvals from foreign regulators should take place in the first half of 2021.
And despite the aircraft’s notorious reputation, airlines report that cargo loads remain in line with other aircraft, indicating that kites do not actively avoid the Max. Expected passengers skepticism about flying on the Max has encouraged airlines to offer flexible change policies that allow kites to switch off the aircraft.
Read more: The 16 Most Outrageous Things Boeing Employees Said About the Company, the 737 Max Program and Each Other in Released Internal Email
The first priority for Boeing is to get the already delivered Max aircraft flying again. Only five airlines have started flying their Max aircraft again, and through new regulatory approvals, more will do so in the coming weeks and months.
“Each airline has different operating considerations for sending aircraft back to the revenue service and timelines for training their pilots,” Calhoun said. “We support each and every one of them during their process.”
Gol Linhas Aéreas was the first airline to resume Max flights in early December, soon followed by Aeromexico on 21 December and American Airlines on 29 December.
Despite his late start, the American appears to be the general manager of Max flights as he continues to expand his route network with the aircraft. In March, American’s 737 Max planes fly as far west as San Diego, California, as far north as Boston, and as far south as Manaus, Brazil, according to Cirium data.
United Airlines will resume Max flights again on February 11 from Denver and Houston, while Southwest Airlines will launch its first Max flights somewhere in March, the youngest of any U.S. airline that flew the Max before it was grounded in March 2019.
At the same time, Boeing will continue to deliver new Max aircraft to airlines as new buildings sit vacant at airports across the country and at parking lots in Seattle. Delivery of the backlog of 450 aircraft resumed in December and since then more than 40 aircraft have been delivered.
“Before delivery, teams perform all the necessary tests and ensure that each aircraft receives customized care and is prepared in a delivery stall for customer acceptance and FAA investigation,” Calhoun said.
Alaska Airlines has just taken over its first Max on January 23, the fourth and final U.S. airline to receive the Max for the first time, with plans for a March 1 debut. The Seattle-Los Angeles and Seattle-San Diego routes will see the first aircraft on launch day.
Boeing has lost hundreds of Max orders due to the grounding of the aircraft and the COVID-19 pandemic, but new orders are still coming in. Since the abyss, Ryanair has placed a Max order of 75 aircraft, Alaska has expanded its firm Max order to 68 aircraft, and Canada’s Flair Airlines has just leased 13 Max aircraft.
However, billions still have to be reimbursed to customers due to the prolonged grounding.
“Cumulatively, we incurred a liability of $ 9.6 billion for the estimated potential concessions and other considerations,” said Gregory Smith, CFO of Boeing, about the 737 Max. “To date, we have made $ 3.7 billion in cash and other forms of compensation to customers, including $ 600 million we paid this quarter.”
But the biggest obstacle to Boeing’s return after two fatal crashes with the Max has been overcome, as the plane is back in the air and as a result, deliveries have resumed and orders are coming in again.
“Following one of the most stringent certification efforts in aviation history, we are confident in the safety of our aircraft,” Calhoun said.