Two Boeing aircraft scheduled to be delivery to Chinese airlines were returned to the United States from Boeing’s Zhoushan completion center in China over the Easter weekend, highlighting worsening trade tensions between the two countries.
One of the aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 registered N242BE and intended for a Chinese airline Xiamen Airlines, arrived in Guam on April 21, 2025, after departing from the Zhoushan center, according to data from AirNav Radar.
Guam serves as a common stop for these flights traveling between Boeing Field (BFI) in Seattle and the Zhoushan completion center, where Boeing conducts final preparations before delivering planes to Chinese carriers.
On April 22, 2025, the aircraft continued its journey, departing for Honolulu International Airport (HNL), likely its final stop before Seattle.
This is the second Boeing aircraft to change its delivery route. On April 20, 2025, a 737 MAX registered N230BE returned from Zhoushan and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle at 18:11 local time. According to a local witness, the aircraft was sporting a Xiamen Airlines livery.
It is not clear which party decided that the two aircraft should return to the US.
The delivery issues are due to the ongoing political tensions between the two largest economies in the world. China’s action is a direct reaction to recent US tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese products. In response, Beijing has imposed tariffs of 125% on US imports, which significantly affects the cost of US-made aircraft for Chinese airlines.
This uncertainty has led other airlines to reconsider their strategies. On April 21, 2025, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, announced it is currently negotiating with Boeing to possibly secure new aircraft delivery slots that may open up due to the ongoing trade tensions between the US and China.
This situation arose after Beijing ordered its airlines to stop all deliveries of Boeing aircraft and to halt purchases of aviation equipment from US companies.
This order impacts major airlines such as Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern, which have a combined total of 179 Boeing aircraft scheduled for delivery from 2025 to 2027.
