China takes delivery of Boeing 737 Max in show of support for troubled plane maker

By Xiaofei Xu and Chris Isidore, CNN

Published 10:10 PM EST, Wed January 24, 2024

A Boeing 737 Max 7 aircraft lands during an evaluation flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, on September 30, 2020.

Hong Kong/New YorkCNN —

Boeing has delivered its first 737 Max to a Chinese airline for the first time in nearly five years, according to flight data, in a rare spot of good news for the embattled company.

The delivery is seen as an important affirmation from a key market for the plane maker, whose reputation for unmatched safety and quality in its commercial jets was dealt a massive blow following a terrifying accident aboard a 10-week-old 737 Max 9 flight on January 5.

According to flight tracking website Flightradar 24, China Southern Airlines flight CZ5073 departed from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday for China via Honolulu. The use of the airline’s flight number, instead of a Boeing one, suggests the ownership of the plane has already been transferred.

Boeing (BA) declined to comment on the apparent delivery.

The plane, a 737 Max 8 according to flight data, was built in September 2019 and has been parked in Boeing’s Seattle factory since then, according to flight tracking sites Flightradar 24 and Aviation Flights.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the aircraft in March 2019 after 346 people died in two separate fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. It was discovered that a safety feature meant to stop the plane from climbing too fast and stalling had improperly forced the nose of the plane down, causing the crashes, as CNN reported previously.

Chinese aviation authorities instructed its airlines in March 2019 to ground all their 737 Max 8 aircraft, citing the need for “strict control of safety risks.” That ban was lifted in 2021, following the model’s clearance by the FAA, but there haven’t been any new deliveries of the model to China until now.

China takes delivery of Boeing 737 Max in show of support for troubled plane maker

中国接受波音737 Max的交付，显示出对这家陷入困境的飞机制造商的支持

Boeing has delivered its first 737 Max to a Chinese airline for the first time in nearly five years, according to flight data, in a rare spot of good news for the embattled company.

根据flight data，波音公司近五年来首次向中国航空公司交付了第一架737 Max，这对这家陷入困境的公司来说是一个罕见的好消息。

The delivery is seen as an important affirmation from a key market for the plane maker, whose reputation for unmatched safety and quality in its commercial jets was dealt a massive blow following a terrifying accident aboard a 10-week-old 737 Max 9 flight on January 5.

这次交付被视为该飞机制造商在关键市场的重要肯定。该公司在其商用飞机的无与伦比的安全性和质量方面享有盛誉，但在1月5日一架仅仅10周的737 Max 9飞机上发生了一起可怕的事故，给公司的声誉造成了巨大打击。

According to flight tracking website Flightradar 24, China Southern Airlines flight CZ5073 departed from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday for China via Honolulu. The use of the airline’s flight number, instead of a Boeing one, suggests the ownership of the plane has already been transferred.

据航班跟踪网站Flightradar 24数据，中国南方航空公司CZ5073航班周三从华盛顿州西雅图的波音机场起飞，途经檀香山飞往中国。使用了该航空公司的航班号而不是波音的航班号表明这架飞机的所有权已经完成了转移。

Boeing (BA) declined to comment on the apparent delivery.

波音拒绝就这一明显的交付发表评论。

The plane, a 737 Max 8 according to flight data, was built in September 2019 and has been parked in Boeing’s Seattle factory since then, according to flight tracking sites Flightradar 24 and Aviation Flights.

根据flight data，这架737 Max 8飞机于2019年九月制造，根据航班跟踪网站Flightradar 24和Aviation Flights的数据，这架飞机在制造完之后就一直停在波音的西雅图工厂。

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the aircraft in March 2019 after 346 people died in two separate fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. It was discovered that a safety feature meant to stop the plane from climbing too fast and stalling had improperly forced the nose of the plane down, causing the crashes, as CNN reported previously.

在印度尼西亚和埃塞俄比亚发生两起事故造成346人死亡之后，美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）于2019年3月停飞了这架飞机。据CNN此前报道，调查发现，一个用于防止飞机爬升过快和失速的安全装置不合理地迫使飞机机头向下，导致了坠机事故。

Chinese aviation authorities instructed its airlines in March 2019 to ground all their 737 Max 8 aircraft, citing the need for “strict control of safety risks.” That ban was lifted in 2021, following the model’s clearance by the FAA, but there haven’t been any new deliveries of the model to China until now.

2019年3月，中国航空要求其航空公司停飞所有737 Max 8飞机，称需要“严格控制安全风险”。在该机型获得FAA批准后，该禁令于2021年解除，但一直到之前，该机型都没有向中国交付过。