Boeing has started bringing aircraft sold to Chinese airlines back to the U.S. after China announced last week it had told airlines to stop taking delivery of Boeing products. The move was in response to a trade war sparked by President Donald Trump’s imposition of 145% tariffs on U.S. goods. It’s not clear whether the tariffs actually applied to the aircraft that landed in Seattle on Sunday, presumably to be stored until some kind of deal is reached to allow its delivery. If the tariffs did apply, the cost of the MAX would have been about $135 million rather than the normal $55 million sticker price.
The Boeing 737 MAX was at Boeing’s completion center in Zhoushan for final touches before entering service with Xiamen Airlines. It was spotted landing at Boeing Field just after 6 a.m. after fuel stops in Guam and Hawaii. Reuters said it’s not known whether Boeing recalled the plane or the Chinese ordered it to leave.
