Boeing in Talks for 737 Max Validation Flight in China, Report Says

What’s new: Aviation giant Boeing and Chinese regulators are discussing details for a validation flight in China for the company’s 737 Max jets, which have been grounded for more than two years after two crashes involving the model, Bloomberg reported.

As part of the plan, around 35 pilots and engineers could travel to China to meet with regulators in late July, according to the report, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

Despite the movement, a lifting of the ban on one of Boeing’s most popular aircraft could still be months away, the report added.

What’s the background: China was the first country to ground its 737 Max fleet shortly after the fatal crash of one of the planes in Ethiopia in March 2019. That crash came just months after another 737 Max flight crashed in Indonesia.

Later investigations revealed that malfunctions in the planes’ flight control systems were partly responsible for the crashes.

Boeing has since made changes to the plane, and the U.S. became the first to lift the grounding last November and more than 170 countries have followed suit. China said in March it still has “major concerns” about the model, though some have speculated that politics may be a factor in the prolonged grounding due to recent tensions with the U.S.

Related: China Still Has ‘Major Concerns’ About Boeing’s 737 Max 

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)

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