An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft prepares to take off during a demonstration flight to resume flights from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on February 1, 2022. (Source: Reuters)

According to flight tracking data from FlightRadar24, the 737 MAX 8 left Washington state on January 24 after being delivered to China Southern Airlines. The plane then made stops in Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Islands before landing in Guangzhou in southern China.

China, the first country to ground the MAX after two crashes involving the MAX 8 in 2018 and 2019, last month granted Boeing permission to resume deliveries of the 737 MAX 8 to domestic airlines.

Chinese airlines have placed orders for at least 209 MAX planes with Boeing, aviation data provider Cirium said.

China’s green light is a boost for Boeing, which has been hit by the recent crash of its 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned Boeing from increasing production of its best-selling narrow-body aircraft. No airlines in China currently operate the MAX 9.

The FAA’s unprecedented intervention in production schedules could further slow the delivery of new planes to airlines. But if China continues to approve MAX imports, it will not be affected by the production strains Boeing is facing, as dozens of planes destined for Chinese customers are already ready for delivery. Cirium estimates that Chinese airlines will take delivery of 64 MAX 8s this year and 58 in 2025.

China is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets. Boeing predicts the country will account for 20% of global aircraft demand by 2042.

Currently, neither Boeing nor China Southern Airlines, nor the Civil Aviation Administration of China, have commented on the above information.