The Air China-operated C919 departed Beijing Capital International Airport at 3 pm on Wednesday (August 12) and landed in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, at 4.58 pm local time. The Beijing-Ulaanbaatar service, operating as CA723/CA724, will run daily.

The flight marks the first time the C919 has operated a scheduled commercial service outside China since entering passenger service in May 2023. It also represents a significant step in Beijing’s effort to establish the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) as a credible competitor to Boeing’s 737 MAX and Airbus’s A320neo.

The C919 is a single-aisle aircraft designed to carry up to 174 passengers. The international service is an opportunity for COMAC to demonstrate the aircraft’s reliability and operating performance beyond its home market.

Air China received its first C919 in August 2024 and now operates 12 of the aircraft. The carrier said its C919 fleet has completed more than 12,000 safe flights and carried over 1.62 million passengers. Across Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, C919 aircraft have opened 58 routes serving 26 cities and carried more than 7.5 million passengers.

Despite that progress, COMAC faces major obstacles before it can seriously challenge the established manufacturers globally. The C919 remains heavily dependent on foreign suppliers, including CFM International, the joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines that supplies its engines.

The C919 has not received certification from major US or European aviation regulators, restricting its ability to enter many international markets. Analysts say regulatory approval, supply-chain resilience and production scale will be critical to its long-term success.

COMAC’s production remains small compared with its Western rivals. Analyst Andreas Mischer of the Mercator Institute for China Studies said COMAC had delivered 32 C919s by the end of 2025 and another eight in the first half of 2026. By comparison, Airbus delivered around 100 narrow-body aircraft to China in 2025 alone.

That leaves COMAC well short of its stated ambition to produce 200 aircraft a year by 2029.

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The US planemaker, however, trails European rival Airbus, which delivered 89 ⁠jets in June and 351 in the first half of the year. Boeing’s deliveries will likely rise in the second half of the year as the venture increases output of its best-selling 737 MAX. The company currently is increasing 737 output from 42 jets a month to 47.

Boeing’s June deliveries included 42 737 MAXs and 13 787s. Its 787 deliveries included five jets that had ‌been ⁠held up by seat certification delays to Saudi Arabia-based startup airline Riyadh Air. Boeing also delivered three 777 freighters and five 767s, including three for conversion into KC-46 aerial refuelling tankers by the company’s defence division.

Boeing booked ⁠121 new orders and eight cancellations in June, for a net total of 113 new orders. The aerospace giant has so far received 7,206 orders for the 737 ⁠MAX, surpassing its previous best-selling 737 Next Generation, which received 7,159 orders.

Talking about the 737 MAX, Boeing is also in the final stages of getting regulatory certification for an engine anti-ice system fix for the jetliner, paving the way for the long-delayed MAX 7 and 10 versions to enter ‌service.

The redesign has been done to address a mechanical issue that could cause overheating and possible engine failure. The issue, as per the company’s executives, has been the biggest obstacle to certification of the smallest and largest versions of Boeing’s best-selling jet.

As per the aviation analytics firm Cirium, Boeing has already built about 30 MAX 7s and nine MAX 10s awaiting delivery. The larger MAX 10 accounts for at least 28% of outstanding MAX orders.

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in May it expected to certify the smaller 737 MAX 7 this summer. South-west Airlines has been the biggest customer for that version. As per the planemaker, the more profitable MAX 10 is 98% through certification flight testing.

“We have two flight tests left, and we should be done real soon here,” said Chris Payne, Boeing vice president and general manager for 737 MAX development programmes.

Certification of the MAX 7 and 10 is years behind schedule, which has allowed European planemaker Airbus to expand its lead in the narrowbody market through its popular A320 and A321 families and their Neo and XLR variants.

Boeing has already undergone a stringent certification process following two fatal MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019. Apart from that, regulators, especially the FAA, carried out intensive scrutiny of the company’s production and quality systems after a January 2024 mid-air cabin panel blowout on a nearly new Alaska Airlines MAX 9.

After the anti-ice system issue was discovered in 2021, regulators allowed the MAX variants already in service – the MAX 8, 8-200 and 9 – to continue flying and for Boeing to keep making the aircraft but delayed certification of the other versions.

“The fix to the system also reduces engine noise and mitigates fan flutter, based on testing at GE ‌Aerospace’s Ohio facility,” said Mike Sinnett, Boeing’s senior vice president of product strategy, product development and development programmes.

The 737 MAX’s LEAP-1B engine is produced by CFM International, a joint venture of GE Aerospace and France’s Safran. Once the certification is done, Boeing will do the retrofitting of the engine anti-icing mechanism during the routine maintenance shifts, during which the aircraft will also go through intensive new wiring.

Keeping this in mind, Boeing has been working with regulators on a schedule that would allow airlines to make the ⁠repair when their planes are already in the hangar for heavy maintenance checks, reducing disruption and costs.

The MAX 10 will also introduce an updated flight crew alerting system, known as an enhanced angle-of-attack system, to meet safety requirements imposed by the US Congress following the two MAX crashes that killed 346 people and led to the model’s 20-month grounding beginning in 2019.

The system ⁠simplifies flight-deck alerts resulting from a failed angle-of-attack sensor, which overwhelmed pilots with “too much information” before the planes crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

“The update is an IOU from the return-to-service (requirements) after the very unfortunate accidents. All in-service 737 MAX jets will have the new system installed within ⁠two years after regulators certify it,” said Bill Quashnock, Boeing’s 737 deputy chief pilot.

“Boeing is also more than 50% through certification flight testing for the 777-9 and is on track to start delivering the new widebody jet next year,” said Terry Beezhold, Boeing vice president and general manager of the 777-9 programme.

“The company still has to complete several major certification requirements, including getting regulatory approval for long-distance flights with few airports in between,” the official concluded.

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And the incident opened a Pandora’s Box. Alaska Airlines, along with its industry peers around the world, had to ground the 737 Max jets operating in their fleet for carrying out rigorous inspections, with the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration taking a grim view of the whole situation.

Things Getting Messier

During the 737 Max fleet inspections, United Airlines found bolts requiring “additional tightening”. So basically, the problem is all about “installation issues” in crucial areas like door plugs potentially compromising the aircraft’s structural integrity. The aircraft, on record, right now possesses “loose hardware” around its airframe, which will bring further FAA wrath.

Even though the grounding of 737 MAX around the world has resulted in flight cancellations and the subsequent monetary damages for the aviation sector, the fact that the aircraft contains “loose hardware” may make passengers jittery about boarding the jetliner in the near future.

“The door plug is a piece of fuselage, with a window, that fills the space where an emergency exit would be in certain configurations. It was this part of the Alaska Airlines plane which dramatically fell off mid-flight over the US state of Oregon, eventually landing in a teacher’s back garden,” commented a BBC article.

Even though the crew took timely action and landed the aircraft without any serious injuries, the images of a wide hole in the side of the aircraft, oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling and reports suggesting that a young boy sitting near the affected area had his shirt ripped off by the force of the decompression were harrowing indeed.

The plane’s door plug, recovered from a teacher’s backyard in Oregon, was found without the four bolts, as per the United States National Transportation Safety Board. It further suspects that the bolts were missing from the flight’s take-off but they might have come off in the descent.

Pilots also reported about pressurisation warning lights on three previous flights made by the accident-stricken Alaska Airlines aircraft. The jet was prevented from making long-haul flights over water so that it “could return very quickly to an airport” in the event the warnings happened again, NTSB chief Jennifer Homendy stated further.

India, which is one of the fastest-growing global aviation markets and operates some 40 737 Max planes, found a missing part (in the form of a washer) on one aircraft.

A Plane Doomed To Fail?

The Boeing 737 Max, which was designed to rival the Airbus A320neo family and was heralded as a breakthrough in aviation in 2015 (with more efficient CFM International LEAP engines and aerodynamic changes like split-tip winglets), has experienced a string of setbacks since going into service in 2017.

According to the FAA, the Alaska Airlines’ 737-9 was virtually brand-new, having been produced in 2023 and approved last November.

However, the Boeing 737 Max is not new to mishaps.

Lion Air Crash In 2018

On October 28, 2018, a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max crashed off the coast of Indonesia, killing 189 people soon after it took off from Jakarta. A month following the incident, Indonesian investigators concluded that poor crew performance, insufficient pilot training, and a design flaw were to blame.

The automated system known as MCAS ((Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) was designed to keep the aircraft from plunging to the ground, reportedly causing the mishap. The national body responsible for transport safety said, “The design and certification of MCAS was inadequate.” Similarly, one of this system’s sensors was “poorly calibrated.” a flaw that the maintenance crews failed to find.

Ethiopian Airlines’ 737 MAX Crash In 2019 

On March 10, 2019, a little over five months later, an Ethiopian Airlines 737-800 MAX crashed shortly after takeoff. The 149 passengers and eight crew personnel perished. The aircraft was travelling to Nairobi, Kenya, from Addis Ababa. The Boeing anti-stall system, while turned on, was questioned in the preliminary investigation report.

The incident saw countries around the world grounding and banning the aircraft type from operating in their airspaces. The model saw a temporary manufacturing halt in 2020. Boeing stopped producing its aircraft in January 2020. Beginning in 2020, the 737 MAX, like its counterparts in the US, Brazil, and Canada, was allowed to fly over European airspace again after being grounded for two years.

Only after making adjustments to the flight control system was the FAA able to approve the restoration to operation.

‘Inadequately Tightened’ Nut

After an international operator found a bolt missing its nut during a regular inspection, the manufacturer notified airlines in December 2023 that the devices needed to be inspected to check for loose parts in the rudder control system. Then, on an aeroplane that had not yet been delivered, the aircraft manufacturer noticed a nut that “was not properly tightened.”

More recently, issues with the fuselage—specifically, the back bulkhead of the aircraft—forced Boeing to reduce its delivery schedule. Boeing delivered more than 1,370 737 MAX models by the end of December 2023, and it presently has more than 4,000 on order.

A Bad Investment?

The accidents and grounding of the particular aircraft type cost Boeing an estimated USD 20 billion in fines, compensation and legal fees in 2020 alone, with indirect losses of over USD 60 billion from 1,200 cancelled orders.

In 2021, Boeing also paid USD 2.5 billion to settle the United States’ Department of Justice’s fraud conspiracy case against the aviation giant.

Investigations revealing the FAA and Boeing colluding on recertification test flights, apart from attempting to cover up important information and retaliating against whistleblowers, harmed the company further.

The time frame between 2020-23 has all been about the aircraft getting grounded due to structural and software-related failures, going back to the drawing board to identify and correct the engineering lapses and then being rigorously tested to validate the fact that the aircraft is meeting all the crucial safety parameters laid down by the aviation watchdogs around the world.

Just when it seemed that Boeing finally is getting its act together with the 737 Max, as airlines around the world not only resumed their operations with the jet, but were also placing new orders, came the Alaska Airlines mishap.

Conclusion

Expert in aeronautics at the consulting firm Icare, Bertrand Vilmer, cautions that “we must be careful before accusing the aircraft manufacturer.” Boeing will undoubtedly continue to suffer as a result of this incident. The price of the American company fell precipitously on Wall Street, around 7%. Spirit AeroSystems, one of Boeing’s subcontractors, also faced the heat in the American stock market.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and the company’s other top official, Stan Deal have now admitted “the real seriousness of the accident” as the company launched checks into its quality controls and processes around the 737 MAX 9.

Tragedy after tragedy has made people wonder if Boeing’s best-selling aeroplane, the 737 Max, is cursed. Airlines worldwide are currently inspecting their models, but it is unsure how many countries would be willing to stick around with the jet.

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Previously, CAAM banned the aircraft in the country in 2019 after two deadly crashes. It also issued a new safety directive, Safety Directive 01/2021, for both domestic and foreign operators of the aircraft.

It said, “CAAM has reviewed and validated all applicable FAA and manufacturer publications on the Boeing 737 MAX in relation to its return to service. Based on these and all other related factors, CAAM has conducted a safety risk assessment (SRA) for the return to service in Malaysia.”

In December 2020, the Boeing 737 Max aircraft finally returned to the skies after being grounded across the globe for more than 20 months. American Airlines flew the 737 Max aircraft from Dallas to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The aircraft carried media personals as Boeing seeks to demonstrate to passengers that the redesigned jet is safe to travel. The Boeing 737 Max aircraft was grounded in March 2019 after two crashes killed a combined 346 people- a Lion Air flight and an Ethiopian Airlines flight – within five months of each other. Back then, the Chicago-headquartered company also reduced production of the 737 MAX from 52 to 42 per month.

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The carrier said in a statement, “Boeing has recently issued some technical guidelines regarding the MAX. According to these guidelines, we have started on the modification, which is a necessary step towards the return to service (of MAX).”

However, it is not clear, when the Boeing 737 MAX will return to service. In this regard, XiamenAir said, “Currently, we do not have a timetable for its return to service and everything is subject to notices from the aviation regulator.”

It was also reported that Vietnam has recently lifted its ban on the 737 MAX. Even though no Vietnamese carrier flies any Boeing 737 MAX as of now, the recent development would mean foreign carriers will now be able to fly the aircraft into Vietnam.

Earlier in December, 737 Max aircraft finally returned to the skies after being grounded across the globe for more than 20 months after two fatal crashes. American Airlines flew the 737 Max aircraft from Dallas to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The aircraft carried media personals as Boeing seeks to demonstrate to passengers that the redesigned jet is safe to travel. The Boeing 737 Max aircraft was grounded in March 2019 after two crashes killed a combined 346 people- a Lion Air flight and an Ethiopian Airlines flight – within five months of each other. Back then, the Chicago-headquartered company also reduced production of the 737 MAX from 52 to 42 per month.

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The aircraft carried media personals as Boeing seeks to demonstrate to passengers that the redesigned jet is safe to travel. The Boeing 737 Max aircraft was grounded in March 2019 after two crashes killed a combined 346 people- a Lion Air flight and an Ethiopian Airlines flight – within five months of each other. Back then, the Chicago-headquartered company also reduced production of the 737 MAX from 52 to 42 per month.

Captain Peter Gamble, who flew the Max to Tulsa, told CBS News, “I’m comfortable with the changes that have occurred,” he said. “We have the computer-based, but more importantly we have the simulator training, which is really what we should have had from the beginning.”

American Airlines also said that they will notify passengers if they are booked on a 737 Max aircraft. This will allow them to change to another plane with no penalty.

Boeing began carrying out flight safety tests for its 737 Max aircraft earlier this year. The aircraft manufacturer claims it worked closely with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other regulators to bring the Boeing 727 MAX back to service.

Earlier this year, the FAA fined Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing around $1.25 million. The FAA alleged that Boeing exerted undue pressure on its workers who handle safety oversight work on behalf of the agency at its plant in North Carolina.

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Boeing also forecasts passenger traffic to grow at an average rate of 4.3 percent each year for the Middle East for the next 20 years. The average growth rate for the region is higher compared to the global passenger traffic growth rate of 4 percent.

Darren Hulst, Boeing vice president of Commercial Marketing told the media, “In recent decades, several airlines in the Middle East have leveraged their geographical position to connect rapidly growing Asian economies and the more mature markets in Europe. At the historical crossroads connecting Europe, Africa and Asia, the Middle East and its airlines will remain a critical hub of sixth-freedom passenger flows and cargo throughout the 20-year outlook.”

Commercial aircraft owned by Middle Eastern airlines are expected to reach 3,500 by 2039, which is more than double of the current 1,510 aircraft. Boeing also forecasts demand for 1,280 new passenger airplanes during the same period.

Recently, the US Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft to resume operation again. The aircraft was grounded for security concerns after two fatal crashes that claimed the lives of more than 300 people. American Airlines is set to relaunch the first commercial MAX, followed by United Airlines in the first quarter of 2021.

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The FAA alleges that Boeing exerted undue pressure on its workers who handle safely oversight work on behalf of the agency at its plant in North Carolina.

Over the last couple of years, Boeing has come under immense criticism after two of its 737 Max aircraft crashed last year.

The aircraft has been grounded since mid-March last year following two crashes – a Lion Air flight and an Ethiopian Airlines flight – within five months of each other. Back then, the Chicago-headquartered company also reduced production of the 737 MAX from 52 to 42 per month.

During the month of June, Boeing carried out flight safety tests for its 737 Max aircraft.

Boeing was working together with regulators to carry out the safety test which lasted for three days.

Last year, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) revealed that it will allow the Boeing 727 MAX aircraft to fly only after Boeing meets four critical conditions.

Firstly, the changes made by Boeing to these aircraft would have to be approved by the agency. Secondly, the agency will carry out a broader review of the design of the critical safety systems on these flights, which was earlier done by the FAA.

Thirdly, the EASA needs to have a clear and detailed understanding of the two accidents and lastly, Boeing must adequately train its flight crews with regard to the changes being made to the aircraft’s software.

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Most of the layoffs are expected to be in Europe.

Additionally, the company has already agreed to cut 900 jobs at its Premium AEROTEC unit in Germany.

With regard to the job cuts, Airbus said in a statement, “With air traffic not expected to recover to pre-COVID levels before 2023 and potentially as late as 2025, Airbus now needs to take additional measures.”

Reportedly, it is planning to let go of around 5,000 of its employees in France, 5,100 in Germany, 1,700 in Britain, 900 in Spain and 1,300 others at Airbus facilities elsewhere.

Recently, Airbus chief executive  Guillaume Faury said in a statement, “Airbus is facing the gravest crisis this industry has ever experienced. We must ensure that we can sustain our enterprise and emerge from the crisis as a healthy, global aerospace leader, adjusting to the overwhelming challenges of our customers.”

Last month, arch-rival Boeing announced that it will lay off around 12000 employees in the US,  including 6770 voluntary layoffs.

In the month of April, Boeing said it would cut 10 percent of its worldwide workforce of 160,000 by the end of 2020. Boeing said 5,520 US employees will take voluntary layoffs, and also disclosed it was notifying 6,770 workers of involuntary layoffs.

Recently, Boeing began the flight safety test for its 737 MAX aircraft where were grounded last year after two deadly crashes that killed mora than 300 people.

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The Boeing 777x Jetliner took off from Everett in Washington and landed at Seattle’s Boeing Field. The journey was completed in four hours.

The test for the new Boeing 777x Jetliner was scheduled to take place earlier on Thursday, however, it was called off due to high winds.

The 777X is an updated version of the 777 and is the largest twin-engine jet ever built with a wingspan of more than 235 feet. It has a seating capacity of 406 passengers.

Reportedly, the new aircraft will begin operation in 2021, later than earlier predicted. The aircraft will directly compete with the Airbus A350-1000 which has a seating capacity of about 360 passengers.

The FAA has also ensured the 777x will be well inspected before they begin operations.

Craig Bomben who co-piloted the Boeing 777X Jetliner’s maiden flight told the media, “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has pledged to ensure the 777X review is conducted rigorously, while launch customer Emirates wants the plane to be put through hell on Earth.”

He added, “We are going to follow the normal processes we always follow and work with the FAA and they are going to work hand-in-hand with us.”

Last week, the FAA also revealed that they will unground the Boeing 737 Max earlier than expected.

The aircraft has been grounded since mid-March 2019 after two fatal crashes killed all 346 people on board. Since then, Boeing has cut production of the 737 MAX and it may stop or temporarily halt production depending on the FAA report.

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