(Yicai Global) Aug. 11 -- The Boeing 737 Max, which has been grounded in China for nearly two and a half years following two deadly crashes, completed its first test flight in Shanghai today, setting off the process of recertification in US aircraft manufacturer Boeing's biggest market.

Boeing and the Civil Aviation Authority of China have scheduled several test flights for the 737 Max, which arrived in Shanghai on Aug. 7, over the next few days. This will be followed by a series of technical inspections.

The entire recertification process is expected to take several months, Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun said earlier.

China is one of the few countries that has not 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 in 2019. 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. China accounted for over a quarter of all orders for 737 Max planes before the disaster, and China is leading the world in the recovery of the aviation industry post-pandemic.

There is also the fear that should the delay be prolonged, it will lose market share to Airbus and to China’s upcoming self-developed C919 aircraft which has similar specifications to the Boeing 737 Max. The C919 passenger plane entered the final phase of testing at the end of last year and should soon be certified for commercial flights.

Editors: Liu Xiaojie, Kim Taylor