Boeing 737 MAX takes to skies for long-awaited test flight

The jet that has been grounded for more than a year following two fatal crashes

Published: June 30, 2020 08:29 AFP and Compiled by Christian Borbon, Digital Content Editor

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US regulators conducted the first a test flight of the Boeing 737 MAX, a key step in recertifying the jet that has been grounded for more than a year following two fatal crashes. Image Credit: AP

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A MAX aircraft took off from Boeing Field in Seattle at 1655 GMT, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said. Image Credit: Reuters

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The test lasted several hours, and included two take offs and landings, before finally touching down around 2115 GMT, according to an AFP photographer. Image Credit: Reuters

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The initial flight will be followed by additional trips expected over about three days, the FAA spokesperson said in a statement. Image Credit: AFP

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But though the certifications flights are a critical phase, the regulator stressed that the process for returning the once top-selling aircraft to the skies is not over. Image Credit: AFP

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"While the certification flights are an important milestone, a number of key tasks remain," the FAA spokesperson said, adding that the agency will be "deliberate" and "thoroughly review Boeing's work" before allowing the plane to return to service. Image Credit: Reuters

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"We will lift the grounding order only after we are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards." Image Credit: AP

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The MAX has been grounded worldwide since March 13, 2019, following an Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people. | Ethiopian Federal policemen stand at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 11, 2019. Image Credit: Reuters

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That catastrophe came just a few months after a Lion Air MAX crash that killed 189 people. | Rescue team members stand beside body bags with the remains of passengers of Lion Air, flight JT610 Image Credit: Reuters

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The troubling similarities between the two accidents, both of which occurred shortly after takeoff, along with the pilots' inability to regain control of the plane, led global aviation authorities to ground the model indefinitely. Image Credit: Reuters

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For months, the US aerospace giant has been struggling to get the medium-haul aircraft - previously Boeing's biggest source of commercial plane orders - back into service. Image Credit: AFP

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The MAX's anti-stall flight system, the MCAS, was partially to blame for both crashes. But other technical malfunctions, including one involving electrical wiring, were subsequently detected during the aircraft's modification process, slowing down its recertification. Image Credit: Reuters

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Shares of Boeing opened sharply higher Monday and rose further following news the flight had taken off, closing at $194.49, up 14.4 percent, and leading the Dow. Image Credit: Reuters

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