Boeing 737 Max jet flies for the first time in two years after deadly crashes grounded the fleet
A BOEING 737 Max jet took flight for the first time in two years after deadly crashes grounded the fleet.
The Boeing 737 Max resumed commercial service on Tuesday after a 20-month safety ban was lifted in November.
Passengers on American Airlines Flight 718 departed Miami, Florida, on thenarrow-body airliner at approximately 10.40am on December 29.
The plane is set to land around 1.08pm at LaGuardia Airport in New York, flight tracking websites reveal.
According to CBS News, the Tuesday American Airlines flight 718 is transporting approximately 100 passengers.
The Max, an updated version of Boeing's short-haul 737, was grounded in March 2019 after two deadly crashes.
Back in 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed and all 157 people on board were killed.
The disaster followed a Lion Air crash in Indonesia – which left 189 dead.
Both crashes took place within a five-month timespan.
Following the safety ban lift, CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave flew on a demonstration flight earlier this month.
American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour told the news outlet: "Our pilots, our mechanics, our flight attendants are all comfortable.
"It's ready to get in the air. And there's no other reason why we would just wait and continue to hold on it."
Meanwhile, the Boeing 737 Max completed its first domestic commercial flight in Brazil on December 9.
About a week later, United Airlines revealed the 737 MAX is set to resume flights on February 11, 2021.
"Nothing is more important to United than the safety of our customers and employees," a United spokesperson told Flight Global.
"United’s MAX fleet won’t return to service until we have completed more than 1,000 hours of work on every aircraft, including FAA-mandated changes to the flight software, additional pilot training, multiple test flights, and meticulous technical analysis to ensure the planes are ready to fly."
On November 18, the Federal Aviation Administration announced an order was signed – prompting the MAX's return to commercial service.
According to the FAA, a number of software upgrades and training changes had to be made, before commercial flights were allowed to resume though.
FAA Administrator Steve Dickson signed the order – which came after a "a comprehensive and methodical safety review process that took 20 months to complete."
The updated explained: "During that time, FAA employees worked diligently to identify and address the safety issues that played a role in the tragic loss of 346 lives aboard Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
"Throughout our transparent process, we cooperated closely with our foreign counterparts on every aspect of the return to service."
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