Aircraft
Ethiopian Signals Renewed Confidence in 737 Max
Fifty passengers took part in a four-hour demonstration flight of Ethiopian Airlines’ 737 Max 8 on February 1.
Ethiopian Airlines Group acting CEO Esayas Woldemariam (left) and airline v-p of flight operations Yohannes Hailemariam (center) prepare to greet passengers invited to fly aboard a 737 Max demonstration flight on February 1. (Photo: Kaleyesus Bekele)
Ethiopian Airlines Group acting CEO Esayas Woldemariam (left) and airline v-p of flight operations Yohannes Hailemariam (center) prepare to greet passengers invited to fly aboard a 737 Max demonstration flight on February 1. (Photo: Kaleyesus Bekele)

Nearly three years after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 outside Addis Ababa killed all 157 on board, the airline marked the jet’s imminent resumption of service with a four-hour demonstration flight from the Ethiopian capital on Tuesday. Flight ET9301 carried 50 passengers, including Ethiopian Airlines senior managers and board members, the general director of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA), representatives from Boeing and GE Aviation, and members of the press. After landing, Captain Nathan Elias reported a smooth and quiet flight. “We tried all kinds of maneuvers and they were all perfect,” he said.