China begins returning Boeing aircraft to US
Chinese airlines have begun returning Boeing aircraft to the U.S., with one 737 Max recently landing back at a Boeing production hub in Seattle over the weekend, according to Reuters.
Saturday’s return occurred shortly after China ordered its airlines not to take further deliveries of Boeing aircraft in response to the U.S. imposing 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, Bloomberg News reported last week.
A trio of 737 Max 8 jets that were originally being readied at Boeing’s Zhoushan delivery center for two Chinese airlines were recalled to the U.S. last week, according to aviation news service The Air Current, citing two people familiar with Boeing’s plans.
Reuters confirmed over the weekend that a witness saw a Boeing jet intended for China’s Xiamen Airlines landing back at the planemaker’s production hub in Seattle. The aircraft, which was painted with Xiamen livery, was one of the several 737 Max jets waiting at the Zhoushan completion center for final work and delivery to the Chinese carrier.
Fox News Digital reached out to Boeing and Xiamen Airlines for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
Lin Jian, the chief spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a press conference on April 16 that he was "not familiar with" China making any formal announcement telling its airlines to refuse delivery from Boeing.
The Air Current said China’s order to halt Boeing deliveries has also affected domestic business. A Chinese aircraft lessor saw another Chinese airline back away from its commitment to take delivery, forcing the lessor to remarket the already-built 737 Max 8 to other airlines, the outlet reported, citing two people familiar with the development.
Analysts also said airline CEOs may rather defer plane deliveries than pay duties, according to Reuters, which could potentially damage Chinese airline operations.
Boeing, a "top U.S. exporter" that was angling to challenge Airbus’ dominance in the Chinese market, may be significantly impacted by the trade war as well.
Boeing's year-to-date deliveries show that 18 aircraft have been delivered to nine airlines in China. The country's top three airlines – Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines – have plans to take delivery of 45, 53 and 81 Boeing planes, respectively, between 2025-2027, Reuters reported.
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The tariff war and U-turn over deliveries comes as Boeing has been recovering from an almost five-year import freeze on 737 MAX jets. The suspension in China began in 2019 over safety concerns following two fatal crashes involving the plane model in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Fox News' Pilar Arias and Reuters contributed to this report.