After Tui Airlines Belgium, the Czech Smartwings is now using the Boeing 737 Max 8 again in commercial air traffic. The carrier flew from Prague to Malaga on Thursday under the flight number QS1152.

The fact that the first two passenger flights that have been carried out in Europe since the lifting of the Max-Grounding landed in Malaga is pure coincidence. Smartwings and Tui Airlines Belgium have most likely not agreed.

The OK-SWE was used. The machine is 2,7 years old and has spent most of its career in storage. Like all other Max Operators, Smartwings was not allowed to operate for a long time. Together with Tui Airlines Belgium, they are at the forefront with regard to reactivation in compliance with the requirements of the ESA.

“We have been working continuously with EASA and the manufacturer for almost two years to bring this aircraft back into operation safely. I trust the upgrades and training methods to bring this aircraft back into service. I trust the Boeing 737 MAX completely and consider it to be one of the safest aircraft, ”says Smartwings flight operations manager Tomáš Nevole.

There is currently no party mood in another division of the Smartwings Group. The subsidiary CSA registered all employees with the employment office of the Czech Republic for dismissal. A moratorium that the government has explicitly enacted for airlines expires on Saturday. More details on CSA in this article.