Boeing 737 Max Made its First Commercial Flight

Boeing 737 is one most famous airplanes in the world. However, two fatal crashes created a lot of problems for the company. It is worth mentioning that, Boeing’s 737 Max made its first commercial flight since March 2019 on December 9.

Interestingly, Brazil’s Gol Airlines became the first in the world to put customers on the plane again since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved its return to flight in November. The first flight ferried passengers from Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre.

Based on the information provided by Gol Airlines, it plans to use Boeing 737 Max in regular service starting later this month. Hopefully, passengers who do not want to board the plane will be able to exchange their tickets. It is worth noting that, other airlines are also working to bring the plane back into their fleets.

For example, American Airlines plans to reintroduce the 737 Max to its fleets by first flying without passengers. The next step is to restore commercial service at the end of the year. Another famous also plans to reintroduce the Boeing 737 Max. Southwest Airlines will restart commercial flights no sooner than the second quarter of 2021.

Boeing 737 Max and main challenges

The situation is more complicated than it might appear at the first glance. Airlines that operate Boeing 737 Max must put pilots through new FAA-approved training specific to the problem that caused two deadly accidents in 2018 and 2019.

This is not the only problem. People should keep in mind that, planes that were in storage also need to be brought back into flying shape and updated with new wiring as well as software.

Unfortunately, two deadly crashes in late 2018 and early 2019 claimed the lives of hundreds of people. A new piece of the Boeing 737 Max’s software called Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) made it had to control the plane. It is worth mentioning that, in an effort to save time and money, the company didn’t tell the FAA or customers about MCAS.

Apart from problems caused by MCAS, there is another issue as well. This problem has nothing to do with safety. The coronavirus pandemic decimated the aviation industry and it won’t be easy to find new customers for Boeing 737 Max as well as other airplanes. Moreover, it could take several years for the industry to return to pre-coronavirus results. The company should cooperate with its customers to get the industry back on track.