China's Shanghai Airlines resumes B737 MAX operations

Shanghai Airlines (FM, Shanghai Hongqiao) has joined the ranks of China-based carriers resuming B737 MAX flight ops, with the ch-aviation fleets module showing the airline has returned one of its eleven B737-8s to service, along with a second about to restart revenue operations. Shanghai Airlines is the 11th airline in China to resume B737-8 flights.

Shanghai Airlines has both B-1259 (msn 61627) and B-208M (msn 61634) back in the air. In early March, B-208M began flying scheduled services, primarily between Shanghai and Changzhou. More recently, the aircraft is operating on the Shanghai Hongqiao - Taiyuan sector. The second B737-8, B-1259, appears to be finalizing a series of proving flights ahead of resuming revenue operations. The aircraft operated two proving flights at Taiyuan on April 10 and operated a non scheduled flight from that airport to Shanghai Hongqiao on April 11.

Including B-1259, China's airlines have so far returned 44 of their ninety-five B737-8s to service. China Southern Airlines (CZ, Guangzhou) has 16 of its twenty MAX jets back flying and, as recently reported in ch-aviation, along with China Eastern Airlines (MU, Shanghai Hongqiao), is set to resume deliveries of the type. So far, China Eastern Airlines only has one of its three B737-8s back in the air. China Southern Airlines has another forty-four B737-8s on order while China Eastern Airlines is awaiting a further seven.

Among the other operators bringing the MAX back into service are 9 Air (AQ, Guangzhou) with one B737-8 operating, Air China (CA, Beijing Capital) with nine B737-8s flying, and Fuzhou Airlines (FU, Fuzhou) with one B737-8 in service. Hainan Airlines (HU, Haikou) has six B737-8s back in the air, Lucky Air (China) (8L, Dali) has three B737-8s returned to service, Shandong Airlines (SC, Jinan) has three B737-8s operating, and Xiamen Airlines (MF, Xiamen) has reactivated one B737-8. Kunming Airlines (KY, Kunming Changshui) remains the only China-based airline yet to return its B737-8s to service, with both its aircraft still stored.