Hong Kong/New York CNN —Boeing has delivered its first 737 Max to a Chinese airline for the first time in nearly five years, according to flight data, in a rare spot of good news for the embattled company. According to flight tracking website Flightradar 24, China Southern Airlines flight CZ5073 departed from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday for China via Honolulu. The use of the airline’s flight number, instead of a Boeing one, suggests the ownership of the plane has already been transferred. The plane, a 737 Max 8 according to flight data, was built in September 2019 and has been parked in Boeing’s Seattle factory since then, according to flight tracking sites Flightradar 24 and Aviation Flights. In December, the trade publication the Air Current said Boeing had won a key clearance from China’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), allowing Boeing to prepare Max aircraft for delivery, Reuters reported.

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Persons: Max, CZ5073, haven’t Organizations: New York CNN, Boeing, Max, China Southern Airlines, Boeing Field, Aviation, US Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, CNN, Current, Civil Aviation Administration of China, Reuters Locations: Hong Kong, New York, Seattle , Washington, China, Honolulu, Boeing’s Seattle, Indonesia, Ethiopia