Boeing 737 MAX returns to US skies after 21 months as American Airlines launches flight

American Airlines, on December 29, launched its first commercial flight of Boeing 737 MAX in the United States. Nearly 20 months ago, the airliner was grounded after two of its flights crashed killing 346 people. It was only in November this year, that Boeing 737 MAX was recertified by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

On December 29 (local time), the American flight 718 carrying 100 passengers took off from Miami at 10:30 am EST. The flight arrived at New York’s LaGuardia airport a little early at 1:12 pm. The return flight to Miami is scheduled to take off from New York at 2:30 pm EST on December 30. According to reports, United Airlines is due to return the MAX to its US fleet with flights beginning on February 11. In addendum, Southwest Airlines, which has the largest MAX fleet, reportedly said it will restart service in the second quarter of 2021.

Meanwhile, Boeing stated that the design that leads to the previous crash has been altered and safety issues with the aircraft had been addressed. In a statement later, CEO David Calhoun said that every day the company’s employees "rededicate ourselves to ensuring accidents like the ones that led to the decision to suspend operations never happen again." 

In March 2019, the Boeing 737 Max passenger airliner was grounded worldwide after 346 people died in two crashes which came within five months. Lion Air Flight 610 crashed on October 29, 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019. Ethiopian Airlines immediately grounded its remaining 737 Max fleet.

Read: American Airlines Puts Boeing 737 Max In The Air

Read: Boeing Max Returns To US Skies With First Passenger Flight

Relatives of victims oppose

However, relatives of people who died in the second crash, have opposed the return of the plane and asserted that it was still unsafe. Speaking to AP, the affected relatives and their lawyers said that Boeing was refusing to hand over documents about the plane’s design and development.

“The truth is that 346 people are now dead because Boeing cut corners, lied to regulators, and simply considers this the cost of doing business,” Yalena Lopez-Lewis, whose husband died in the crash, said in a statement issued by her lawyers.

"Boeing leadership is still riddled with deceit. Their priorities are not on consumer safety,” Zipporah Kuria, a British citizen whose father also died in the Ethiopian crash pointed out. 

Read: US Congressional Report Calls Out Boeing For Dubious 737 Max Recertification Efforts

Read: Boeing Max Returns To US Airways