Boeing’s plane deliveries to China have experienced delays in recent weeks due to a Chinese regulatory review of batteries related to the cockpit voice recorder, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The U.S. planemaker stated it is working closely with Chinese customers on the timing of their airplane deliveries, pending a review by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) of batteries contained within the 25-hour cockpit voice recorder.
Regulatory Review and Its Impact
In a year-end 2023 filing, Boeing revealed it had approximately 140 737-8 aircraft in inventory, including 85 aircraft designated for customers in China. Despite these numbers, Boeing has managed to deliver only 22 aircraft to China in 2024 through the end of April. The delay stems from the CAAC’s ongoing review of the new battery system integrated into the cockpit voice recorder.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has already certified this advanced system, which stores more data than previous versions of cockpit voice recorders. However, the CAAC’s additional scrutiny has caused a bottleneck in Boeing’s airplane deliveries to China.
Resumption of 737 MAX 8 Deliveries
In March, China granted Boeing permission to resume deliveries of its 737 MAX 8 jets to local customers, effectively ending an import freeze on the U.S. planemaker’s most profitable jets. This freeze had been in place since shortly after the first delivery in 2019, following two tragic accidents in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in nearly 350 fatalities. China was the first country to ground MAX jets after these incidents.
Despite the regulatory hurdles, Boeing remains optimistic about its future airplane deliveries to China. The company is actively collaborating with both the FAA and CAAC to ensure that all safety and regulatory standards are met, thereby facilitating a smoother delivery process moving forward.
As the aviation industry continues to recover from past setbacks, Boeing’s commitment to meeting regulatory requirements and ensuring the safety of its aircraft remains unwavering. The resolution of the current battery review will be a significant step towards normalizing plane deliveries to one of its most crucial markets.
