Boeing delivers first plane to China in Trump tariff war reprieve
A Juneyao Air 787-9 Dreamliner has departed for Shanghai, reopening a pipeline of 50 aircraft designated for China this year
Boeing delivered its first aircraft to a Chinese airline customer since US President Donald Trump unleashed a wave of tariffs in early April, a sign of rapprochement as Washington and Beijing look to ease tensions.
A Juneyao Air 787-9 Dreamliner took off from Paine Field north of Seattle on Friday, headed for Shanghai Pudong International Airport, according to Flightradar24 data.
The airline had scuttled earlier plans to take the widebody aircraft after China ratcheted up duties in retaliation for the US levies.
Representatives of Juneyao and Boeing declined to comment.
The delivery is a boost for Boeing’s carbon-fibre jet at a time when company executives are grappling with the aftermath of an Air India 787 crash that killed all but one of the 242 people on board.
It reopens, for now, a pipeline of 50 aircraft designated for China this year. Deliveries are closely watched because that is when airlines hand over the bulk of the payment for a new aircraft.