A Boeing aircraft that was set to be delivered to an airline in China returned to the U.S. over the weekend, a sign of the emerging trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.
The Boeing 737 Max8 plane had been set to be delivered to Xiamen Airlines, according to CBS News senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave. The plane, emblazoned with Xiamen’s blue-and-white logo, was photographed by a Reuters photographer upon landing on Saturday at Seattle’s Boeing Field.
Industry trade publication Air Current was the first to report about the return of the jet.
Several other new 737 Max jets are awaiting delivery to Chinese airlines, although Bloomberg News reported last week that the Chinese government has told its domestic airlines to stop accepting deliveries of Boeing aircraft amid the escalating trade war with the U.S.
Earlier this month, China boosted its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%, matching the level of tariffs that President Trump has placed on Chinese imports, although those import taxes can rise as high as 145% for some products.
Boeing declined to comment.
Two Boeing jets awaiting delivery in China are in Zhoushan, a city in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang, while a third is at Boeing’s Renton, Washington, production facility. One of those jets may also return as soon as this week, CBS News has confirmed.
Shares of Boeing fell $3.22, or 2%, to $158.68 in Monday morning trading.
Boeing is scheduled to ship about 10 737 Max aircraft to Chinese carriers, including China Southern Airlines, Air China and Xiamen Airlines, Bloomberg reported last week, citing data from Aviation Flights Group. During the first quarter, Boeing delivered 130 aircraft in all, including more than 100 737 jets, the company said on April 8.
contributed to this report.
