Zhu Zhanliang Civil aviation observer
On July 1, China's three major airlines ( China Eastern Airlines , China Southern Airlines , and Air China) also announced the purchase of a large number of Airbus aircraft , with the total orders of the three companies reaching 292, of which 100 China Eastern Airlines and 96 were each from China Southern Airlines. At a time when the COVID-19 epidemic has caused the aviation industry to be in a downturn, this "super order" has attracted widespread attention. Boeing claimed: "HTM2 geopolitical differences continue to limit US aircraft exports, which is disappointing." However, the US media said that this order is China's retaliation against the Sino-US trade war, and a punishment for Boeing , seriously hurting Boeing. The logic of the US side is unsatisfactory.
American media insists that China does not buy Boeing aircraft for political reasons, and such a ridiculous view also has a market for the US government. In October last year, U.S. Commerce Secretary Raymondo said in an interview that the Chinese government obstructed Chinese airlines to purchase Boeing aircraft worth tens of billions of dollars, "violating" the promises in the first phase of the Sino-US economic and trade agreement. In this regard, Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said whether Chinese companies buy Boeing aircraft is a matter between companies. If you are doing business, the Chinese government will not interfere. Boeing's order data shows that China has not purchased a single Boeing aircraft since 2018, but has purchased seven Boeing aircraft in 2020 and 2021. As for why the Boeing aircraft purchased only has single digits, that is a business problem and Boeing’s own problem.
Boeing's current main products are Boeing 737MAX, Boeing 787, Boeing 777, Boeing 767 and Boeing 747. Between 2018 and 2019, the Boeing 737MAX crashed twice in a row due to design defects in the aircraft itself, killing 346 people, causing a record global grounding. Although Boeing 737MAX has been rectified to make up for the shortcomings that caused two air crashes, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has approved the airworthiness approval of Boeing 737MAX by the end of 2021, the Boeing 737MAX has not resumed commercial flights in China.
Boeing 787 is the only newly designed aircraft of Boeing since its entry into the 21st century. Its good economy and unique market positioning are very popular in the global aviation market. However, in September 2020, the Boeing 787 exposed major mass problems. The gaskets between the two structural parts of the rear fuselage were not installed in place, which made the aircraft fuselage insufficient strength, and the fuselage carbon fiber surface treatment in place, which made the skin unable to fully fit, resulting in a decrease in strength. This problem has led to the grounding of hundreds of Boeing 787s. The FAA has since requested a re-certification of the Boeing 787. Although it does not affect the flight of the existing aircraft until the certification is completed, the new aircraft cannot be delivered before obtaining certification. In July 2022, the FAA did not grant Boeing 787 permission to resume delivery and was still in the certification stage. In May 2022, the FAA discovered that the relevant documents required for certification submitted by Boeing were incomplete, further slowing down the speed of passing the certification. This makes it impossible for Boeing to regain the Boeing 787 certification by the third quarter of 2022, let alone deliveries.
For the Boeing 777 series, the original 777-300 is a mature model, but it is a product from more than ten years ago. Boeing is preparing to produce the new generation of 777X (that is, Boeing 777-9). However, various problems of the 777X project emerged one after another, and even the composite fuselage failed during ground pressurization testing. So much so that Boeing has not yet obtained the airworthiness license of 777X, let alone production. According to Boeing's estimate, the 777X will not be able to obtain airworthiness license in 2023 and will be put into commercial operations in 2025. As for the Boeing 767 and Boeing 747, the Boeing 767 has been eliminated by the market. The current Boeing 767 orders are all from the KC46 tanker (modified based on the Boeing 767). The former giant Boeing 747 has also been eliminated by the market. Apart from the 747 cargo plane, the remaining 747 orders are the new Air Force One of the US government.
None of Boeing's current aircraft can be taken advantage of, so it is normal for Chinese airlines to not purchase it.Instead of complaining that China does not buy Boeing aircraft, the United States might as well let Boeing practice its internal strength and improve the quality of the aircraft. (Editor in charge: Hua Zhang An Ran Yuxin)
