According to people familiar with the matter, Boeing is preparing to deliver the 737 Max passenger plane to China.
China’s largest airline, China Southern Airlines, is preparing to take delivery of the 737 Max from Boeing, with initial deliveries expected to take place within weeks, Bloomberg News reported Saturday (August 26), citing people familiar with the matter.
Boeing this month has moved two single-aisle 737 Max planes originally built for Chinese airlines out of storage for delivery, according to people familiar with the matter.
The exact delivery time is still being finalized as Boeing is still fixing a manufacturing defect found on the jetliner this week and will also depend on customer readiness, the report said.
Boeing did not confirm the above news when interviewed, only saying that it will continue to support Chinese customers. “For deliveries, we will be ready to deliver to our customers when the time comes.”
The Chinese government has grounded the Boeing 737 Max after two deadly crashes of the Boeing 737 Max in 2019. Even though most parts of the world have resumed flying the 737 Max, the relationship between China and the United States continues to be tense, and the Chinese government has not given the green light to the 737 Max. Until January this year, China Southern Airlines took the lead in returning to commercial flights with 737 Max.
Bloomberg quoted sources earlier and reported that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo will visit China on Sunday (August 27), which may help Boeing to deliver 737 Max airliners to China.
But people familiar with the matter also warned that diplomatic hurdles could still kill 737 Max deliveries. People familiar with the matter also revealed that the 737 Max delivery will not be synchronized with Raimondo’s visit to China.
This article is reproduced with permission from Lianhe Zaobao
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2023-08-26 02:38:34
