In China, Boeing’s 737 MAX production could be cleared for take-off after long delay on eastern island of Zhoushan
- No 737 MAX jetliners have been made at Boeing’s facility in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, following deadly crashes in 2019 and deteriorating US-China relations
- Boeing has not been able to significantly expand its business in China since its trade war with the US began in 2018, and competition with rival Airbus is heating up
China’s massive aviation market could be propelling American aerospace giant Boeing to resume operations at a completion-and-delivery facility in an eastern island city after a long hiatus that followed the global production suspension of the long-embattled 737 MAX.
The expectation was given more credence as bilateral relations with the United States improved in recent months and state media China Times reported last month that the facility could resume deliveries as soon as mid-November, quoting industry sources.
“We will be ready to deliver for our customers when that time comes,” Boeing told the Post. “We continue to support our customers in China, with 99 per cent of their current 737 MAX fleet in service.”
Boeing has received no new orders for passenger aircraft from mainland airlines since the 2018 US trade war, but it had accumulated an abundance of orders before that. Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines announced in March an order for 15 Boeing 737-9 aircraft and five 787 Dreamliners.
Boeing’s long-idle facility in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, was established in 2018 to meet the growing demand for Boeing planes in China and the Asia-Pacific region. The completion-and-delivery centre is a joint venture with the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), and it made the narrowbody 737 MAX.