In a landmark move, the first Boeing 737 MAX jet has touched down in China, breaking a nearly five-year hiatus on the delivery of the aircraft to Chinese airlines. The 737 MAX 8, handed over to China Southern Airlines, departed from Seattle Boeing Field in Washington state and completed its journey to Guangzhou in southern China. The aircraft's route included stops in Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Islands, marking the end of China's import freeze on Boeing's most lucrative jets.

China was the first nation to ground the MAX jets following two fatal accidents in 2018 and 2019, resulting in almost 350 casualties. Last month, China granted permission for Boeing to resume deliveries of its 737 MAX 8 to local carriers, signaling a crucial step toward normalizing relations between the aerospace giant and the Chinese market.

While safety bans on the MAX have been lifted, tensions between Washington and Beijing had kept new deliveries on hold since early 2019. However, China's recent approval is expected to pave the way for the potential delivery of a backlog of dozens of completed MAXs to Chinese airlines.

The resumption of deliveries is a significant boost for Boeing, which has faced challenges, including the fallout from a mid-air incident involving a cabin panel on a 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had also restricted Boeing from expanding production of its popular narrowbody planes.

Chinese airlines currently have at least 209 MAX planes on order from Boeing, with 85 out of 250 finished MAX planes held in inventory specifically for Chinese customers. The import freeze prompted Boeing to remarket 55 of these aircraft to other clients last year.

Despite the FAA's intervention in production schedules, which could potentially delay some deliveries, China appears poised to receive a considerable number of MAX jets as long as import permissions remain in place. With an estimated 64 MAX 8 jets scheduled for delivery in 2024 and 58 in 2025, the Chinese market is poised for substantial growth in Boeing's aircraft fleet.

This development follows Boeing's December delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner directly to a Chinese customer since 2019. As China continues to be one of the fastest-growing aerospace markets, Boeing projects that it will contribute to 20% of the world's aircraft demand through 2042. While Boeing declined to comment on the recent delivery, both China Southern and the Civil Aviation Administration of China have not responded to requests for comments.