Boeing 737 Max Back in the Air After Two-Year Ban

Dec. 9—BUENOS AIRES — Brazil's Gol on Wednesday became the first airline to restart passenger flights with Boeing 737 Max, which had been under a flight ban since March 2019 after two crashes claimed 346 lives, local media reported.

"The first flights will be on the routes of origin and arrival at the company's hub in Sao Paulo," Gol said earlier.

About 140 pilots have undergone training on the plane in the United States following a series of technical changes and improvements to the software, which allowed the US and Brazilian civil aviation authorities to give it the green light.

The accidents had been attributed mainly to a faulty control programme that steered the planes downwards.

Wednesday's flight was preceded by a series of test flights.

"The Max is one of the most efficient aircraft in the history of aviation and the only one to undergo a full recertification process, guaranteeing the highest level of safety and reliability," news portal G1 quoted Gol President Paulo Kakinoff as saying.

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