Boeing Delivers First 787 Dreamliner to China, the First Since 2019

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Boeing achieved a significant milestone by directly delivering a 787 Dreamliner to a Chinese airline, Juneyao Airlines, marking the first such delivery since November 2019. This event holds potential implications for Boeing’s 737 Max deliveries, a crucial revenue generator for the company.

The Boeing 787-9, assigned to Juneyao Airlines, took off from Boeing’s factory in Everett, Washington, en route to Shanghai. The latest delivery of a new Boeing 787 to a Chinese airline was facilitated through a leasing company in 2021.

This development comes as China’s prolonged pause on numerous pending deliveries of the Boeing 737 Max approaches its fifth year. The grounding of the 737 Max in March 2019, following the second fatal crash within a short span, led to a worldwide grounding, with the U.S. lifting its ban in 2020, followed by other nations.

Boeing has been actively working to revitalize production and accelerate deliveries of new aircraft. Notably, over a third of Boeing’s inventory, consisting of approximately 250 Max planes, is allocated to Chinese airlines, according to Jefferies. Boeing has also explored alternative markets by remarketing some of the other Max aircraft to different carriers. The recent direct delivery of the Dreamliner to a Chinese airline marks a positive step forward for Boeing amid its efforts to address delivery challenges and meet the increasing demand for new jets.