Today, after a two-year hiatus, Aerolineas Argentinas will carry out a test flight with one of its Boeing 737 MAX in order to restart regular operations. Sources close to this operation confirm that the aircraft involved in the test flight will be the one with registration LV-HKU, which is currently located at the Jorge Newbery Airport.
Aerolineas Argentinas has five MAXs in its fleet. Three of them are in Aeroparque while the other two are stationed in Ezeiza.
If the tests are satisfactory, the first regular flight of Aerolineas Argentinas with the Boeing 737-8 would take off from Buenos Aires on March 23. This test flight occurs a week after the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) has re-authorized operations with the MAX in Argentina.
The company’s Boeing 737-8s would have short flights within the country, to facilitate monitoring and support, if required. As the situation normalizes, the company will add destinations and frequencies with these aircraft.
For now, only the LV-HKU would be used for commercial services. In May the company would add a second MAX to regular operations, following with the rest of the fleet in July, October and December, when all Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 737 MAXs would be operational. This schedule is subject to change, so these aircraft could return to active service a few months earlier.
At the moment, the mandate not to operate the model by the pilots union (APLA) is still active, but the formal lifting of that mandate is expected to occur in the next few hours.
Update: APLA has officially lifted the mandate, allowing its members to operate the model after concerting training and operation conditions with the carrier.
Regarding the 11 MAXs that Aerolíneas Argentinas is set to receive, the contract is still in force but there are still no details of delivery dates or possible changes on the conditions of the agreement.
