Boeing Delivers First 787 Dreamliner To Chinese Airline Since 2019

A four-year commercial freeze of Boeing jet deliveries to Chinese airlines could soon end. Bloomberg reported that a 787 Dreamliner left Boeing's Everett, Washington factory on Thursday, headed for Shanghai and destined for Juneyao Airlines Co.

The 787-9 Dreamliner delivery to Juneyao would be the first new Boeing jet delivered to an airline in the world's second-largest economy since November 2019 - or around the time when China grounded all 737 MAX jets after two crashes killed 346 people. 

The delivery comes one month after Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in San Francisco at the APEC Summit. A Bloomberg report at the time said there were talks between both countries to end the freeze on Boeing jets. 

Boeing confirmed to Bloomberg in an emailed statement about the 787 delivery to Juneyao. The plane landed at Shanghai's Pudong airport on Friday afternoon. 

In July, Boeing CEO David Calhoun said while the planemaker is "not dependent" on additional China deliveries, he was hopeful that deliveries of jets to Chinese carriers would restart soon. 

About a third of Boeing's 250 MAX jet inventory is destined for Chinese airlines, according to Jefferies.

"There are clear regulatory and political hurdles to overcome, but the resumption of deliveries appears to be nearing," Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu wrote in a note earlier this week. 

Another 787 is set to leave Everett for China Eastern Airlines, a sign the Juneyao delivery might not be the only one.