TUI fly (Belgium) resumes B737 MAX flights

TUI fly (Belgium) (TB, Brussels National) became the first airline east of the Atlantic to resume scheduled B737-8 operations on February 17, 2021. OO-MAX (msn 44588), one of four B737 MAX 8s operated by TUI Group’s Belgian unit, was reactivated for a test flight around Brussels National on February 15 ahead of its first revenue service to Malaga and Alicante on February 17, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. Since March 15, 2019, the aircraft had been inactive with its last flight before grounding from Alicante to Brussels. The carrier’s three other B737 MAX 8s remain grounded, alongside the six that TUI Airways operates, TUI fly (Netherlands)’s trio, and TUI fly Nordic’s pair. Although the European Union Aviation Safety Administration (EASA) consented to return the B737 MAX to service in late January, albeit under strict conditions, the only other operator besides TUI fly to announce MAX resumption plans has been Smartwings (Czechia) (QS, Prague Václav Havel) which plans to resume commercial B737 MAX 8 flights by the end of this month. Only airlines in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil have resumed commercial B737 MAX operations.