The new Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft of the Blue Air company will operate on Friday evening the first passenger flight on the route Bucharest Otopeni - Lisbon, informs the company.

"Blue Air marks a double first, its new aircraft being the first Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft to operate commercial flights in Romania and the first to join the fleet of a Romanian air carrier. The new Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, registered YR-MXA, entered operational service today, April 2, 2021, operating the first passenger flight on the route Bucharest Otopeni - Lisbon. The aircraft will operate flights to the most attractive Blue Air destinations - London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon and Paris Charles de Gaulle," reads a press release of the air operator.

The company operated an inaugural overflight flight over Romania on Thursday, April 1, for partners, agents, representatives of the authorities and some of the company's loyal customers.

Blue Air will receive another 9 737 MAX aircraft in the fleet by the end of 2022.

"Blue Air received the first new generation Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft in the fleet, marking a turning point in the company's reconstruction and development. We are pleased that, despite the complicated situation caused by the pandemic, we have been able to accelerate the fleet renewal program. We hope that the new Blue Air comes to mark a new beginning for us and for the entire travel industry, so that we can all welcome the summer of 2021 by doing what we know how to do better than anyone: flying. Blue Air is the better way to fly!," said Oana Petrescu, CEO of Blue Air.

Blue Air is the largest Romanian airline in terms of the number of passengers transported, with an Ultra - Low - Cost (ULC) business model. The company operates Boeing 737 aircraft. In its 16 years of operation, Blue Air has carried more than 32 million passengers and flown more than 340 million kilometers. The company is certified IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for exceptional operating standards and is a full member of IATA.AGERPRES(RO - author: Andreea Marinescu, editor: Mariana Nica; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Maria Voican)