Boeing Resumes Wide-Body Jet Deliveries to China

Boeing has restarted wide-body jet deliveries to China, which were recently halted due to a regulatory review by Chinese authorities. According to flight tracking data and sources, this review also affected the delivery of new narrow-body jets by the U.S. planemaker.

A source told Reuters that all Boeing deliveries to China are now set to resume. Deliveries have been sporadic since 2019 following two fatal crashes of MAX 8 jets and increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing over technology and national security issues.

Impact on Boeing:

The resumption of deliveries is a significant boost for Boeing, which had previously flagged the delay in delivery in China to investors. The company is also dealing with a separate safety and quality crisis.

On Friday, a new Boeing wide-body 777 freighter registered to Air China Cargo as B-223S flew from Everett Paine Field in Washington state to Beijing, as per FlightRadar24. Late Sunday, another 777 freighters registered to Air China Cargo as B-223T departed Everett Paine for Beijing.

Expected Future Deliveries:

A source indicated that orders for wide-body 777 and 787 planes are expected to be delivered in the coming days, with 737 MAX deliveries potentially resuming as early as July. China suspended most orders and deliveries of Boeing planes in 2019 after the 737 MAX was grounded worldwide following fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Deliveries of wide-body jets resumed in December and narrow-body MAX jets in January. However, deliveries were halted in late May due to a review by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) of batteries in 25-hour cockpit voice recorders.

Inventory and Future Demand:

In a year-end 2023 filing, Boeing stated it had about 140 737 MAX 8 aircraft in inventory, including 85 for customers in China. Between the start of 2024 and the end of April, Boeing delivered 22 aircraft to China. The company estimates that Chinese airlines will need 8,560 new commercial planes by 2042.

Boeing directed requests for comment to the CAAC, which did not respond. Air China also did not respond to a request for comment. According to a report by Reuters on Sunday, the U.S. Justice Department will criminally charge Boeing with fraud over the crashes.