(Yicai Global) Nov. 17 -- US aircraft manufacturer Boeing’s 737 Max airliner, which was banned from China’s skies in 2019 following two deadly crashes, has passed preliminary safety inspections by the country’s aviation authority and will now be considered for an airworthiness certificate, China News reported today.

The narrow-body passenger airplane is being allowed to ‘take the exam,’ which is still a long way from ‘passing the exam,’ the report said, citing market insiders.

It means that the 737 Max has met the aviation regulator’s three requirements which are that changes to the aircraft design must obtain airworthiness approval, pilots must be fully re-trained and the conclusions from the investigations into the two accidents must be clear with effective measures proposed, said civil aviation expert Qi Qi.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China is now awaiting feedback on the proposed airworthiness directive for the 737 Max from industry players before it makes its final decision, Qi said. But even once Boeing gets the go-ahead, the refitting of the airplanes and the retraining of the pilots will take time.

China is one of the few countries that has not yet lifted the ban on Boeing 737 Max fleets after a failure in the airplane’s maneuvering characteristics augmentation system led to two crashes in which nearly 350 people died. It has already been allowed to take to the skies again in the US, Europe, Canada and Australia.

Chicago-based Boeing is very keen to get its planes authorized in China again and flew an overhauled 737 Max aircraft to Shanghai in August to start the recertification process.

The Boeing 737 Max will gain approval from Chinese regulators before the end of this year and resume deliveries to the country’s airliners in the first quarter next year, Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun said earlier.

One third of the 370 orders that Boeing has for the 737 Max are from China and the country is leading the world in the recovery of the aviation industry post-pandemic.

Editor: Kim Taylor