By David Shepardson
(Reuters) – Boeing said on Tuesday it has resumed deliveries of its best-selling 737 MAX plane to China after a lengthy delay caused by regulatory issues.
Reuters reported on May 22 that Boeing's aircraft deliveries to China had been delayed in recent weeks due to a Chinese regulatory review of the batteries that power the cockpit voice recorder.
The resumption is a boost for the American aircraft manufacturer, which had warned investors about delivery delays in China and which is itself in a safety and quality crisis.
Since 2019, new Boeing planes have been delivered to China at a standstill, following two deadly crashes of MAX 8 jets and amid rising tensions over issues ranging from technology to national security between Washington and Beijing.
Boeing said on July 9 that it had delivered two 777 freighters to Air China, confirming Reuters reports that deliveries of widebody aircraft to China had resumed.
But Chinese airlines had not yet started delivering single-aisle MAXs. Reuters reported in June that deliveries of 737 MAXs would resume as early as July.
China suspended most Boeing aircraft orders and deliveries in 2019 after the 737 MAX was grounded worldwide.
Deliveries of widebody aircraft resumed in December and narrowbody MAX jets in January.
In a year-end 2023 filing, Boeing said it had about 140 737 MAX 8 airplanes in inventory, including 85 planes for customers in China. Boeing delivered 22 planes to China between early 2024 and April 30.
The aircraft maker estimated on Saturday that Chinese airlines will need a total of 8,830 new commercial aircraft by 2043.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington. Editing by Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis)
