(Yicai) Dec. 22 -- Boeing has handed over its first plane to a Chinese airline since November 2019, giving a boost to the US aircraft maker

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, ordered by privately owned Juneyao Airlines, took off from Seattle Paine Field International Airport today, its Virginia-based manufacturer announced. The plane is scheduled to arrive in Shanghai the same day, according to a flight tracker site.

Boeing has had a lull in Chinese orders after the Asian nation grounded all of its Boeing 737 Max aircraft after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. China Southern Airlines was the first Chinese carrier to resume using the model in January. The Guangzhou-based airline also leased two Boeing 787 in April 2021. 

China will need 8,560 new aircraft over the next 20 years, accounting for a fifth of global demand by 2042, according to a September forecast by Boeing. China’s civil aviation fleet is also expected to require USD675 billion worth of aviation services, including maintenance, training, and parts, during the period.

Editor: Emmi Laine