Daily Times

Flydubai will resume Boeing 737 Max passenger flights on April 8 with the first flight will be from Dubai to Sialkot.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifted a 23-month ban on the jet in February last, the carrier said on Sunday. The airline has complied with the safety requirements issued by the UAE aviation regulator to ensure the aircraft’s safe return to service, Flydubai said in a statement.

“The Max is integral to Flydubai’s fleet and we are confident in the aircraft and its capabilities,” Ghaith Al Ghaith, Flydubai’s chief executive, said. The first 737 Max flight will be to Sialkot, Pakistan, on April 8.

Passengers will be notified in advance of travel if their itinerary now includes a flight that is scheduled to be operated by a 737 Max, the airline said.

Flydubai has a fleet of 14 Boeing 737 Max aircraft, and four of its Max 8s and one of its Max 9s have now received regulatory approval to rejoin its fleet. The remaining nine Max aircraft will return to passenger service over the coming months, the statement said. The airline has a fleet of 50 aircraft and it carried more than 75 million passengers since it began operations in 2009.

“I would like to commend the GCAA for their tireless pursuit of air safety and the diligent work undertaken by the Flydubai team to ensure the safe return of the MAX aircraft to passenger service,” Al Ghaith said.

“We are pleased to see the Max aircraft rejoin our fleet. While the aircraft’s first flight will be from Dubai to Sialkot, they will operate to a number of flydubai’s destinations over the coming weeks,” Hamad Obaidalla, chief commercial officer at Flydubai, said.

“We look forward to reintroducing our Max product which includes a spacious lie flat bed in Business Class and an ergonomically designed seat in Economy Class and improved in-flight entertainment with full HD touchscreens,” he said. The return to service of the airline’s fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft follows an exhaustive 20-month review which has involved the manufacturer, regulators, engineers, scientists, researchers, mechanics and pilots whose sole objective has been to safely return the aircraft to service.