Boeing 737 MAX Set to Return to Passenger Service for First Time Since 2019 this Week

Another chapter will be written in the story of the Boeing 737 MAX jet this week when Brazil’s GOL Airlines operates the first passenger service onboard a MAX in almost two years.  

GOL, a low-cost carrier that is the largest domestic and third largest international airline in Brazil in terms of market share, is planning on flying passengers on the 737 MAX for a flight from Sao Paulo on Wednesday, the first time that ticketed passengers will fly on the jets since two fatal crashes killed 346 in 2019.

All passengers will be alerted that they will be flying on a 737 MAX before boarding, GOL said, and those who do not want to travel on the jets will be allowed to change their tickets free of charge. The jets are a large part of GOL’s business as the airline has seven 737 MAX jets in its fleet with another 95 on order from Boeing.

In a statement, GOL CEO Paulo Kakinoff said the carrier is “pleased about the return of the Boeing 737 MAX to our network” and that GOL, which has trained its pilots on the new safety systems on the jets, has trust in Boeing.

“The MAX is one of the most efficient aircraft in aviation history and the only one to undergo a complete recertification process, ensuring the highest levels of safety and reliability,” he said.

There were questions over what part the 737 MAX jets would play in the future of Boeing or in the future of the industry in general after the crashes, but the news from GOL, and other recent news include new orders from Ryanair, answers some of those questions.

Brazil is the only other country outside of the United States to recertify the jets—the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), for its part, cleared the jets to return to service on Nov. 17—and U.S. carriers are expected to join GOL starting later this month and into the first quarter of 2021.

American Airlines will be the first U.S. carrier to do so. It currently has the 737 MAX on it schedule for service between Miami and New York on Dec. 29. United is expected to follow after in the first quarter of 2021 and Southwest said it will start sometime in spring 2021.

In terms of travel advisor impact, a recent TMR article by Paul Ruden outlined the advisor responsibilities for the MAX reintroduction, including whether or not an advisor should alert their consumers that they are booked to travel on a MAX 737.