Boeing Max faces another China hurdle as airline says ‘not ready’

Bloomberg

China Eastern Airlines outlined several actions it needs to undertake before operating Boeing Co’s 737 Max again, including modifications to the aircraft and further pilot training, damping hopes the narrowbody will return to Chinese skies any time soon.
Li Yangmin, vice chairman of the Shanghai-based state-owned carrier, indicated to investors at a virtual briefing that the airline is yet to start work on returning the Max to commercial service.
“Obtaining airworthiness approval is one of the most basic tasks, and afterwards the company will also need to complete the aircraft modification, parking aircraft recovery, pilot training,” Li said in a written response to questions.
Once a “supplementary” operational certification is approved, commercial flights using the Max jets in China Eastern’s domestic fleet “will only be resumed after meeting relevant national requirements,” Li said.
Representatives at China Eastern didn’t immediately respond to questions sent separately by Bloomberg News about whether the airline has started the process of resuming commercial operations for the planes.
A spokesman for Boeing China said the company continues “to work with global regulators and customers to safely return the 737-8 and 737-9 to service worldwide.”
China was the first to ground the Max in March 2019 following fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed everyone on board. China’s aviation regulator said in December that the 737 Max was airworthy again, paving the way for commercial flights in the country to restart. None of the nation’s airlines have returned them to commercial service yet, though the Max is flying again in most major markets.
While the tasks to get the updated variant of Boeing’s most profitable jet back in skies are the same for all airlines globally, including additional pilot training, software changes and test flights, Chinese carriers have been coy about their plans on the Max.