Yet, even with this key development, the jet will return to a transforming Chinese aviation ecosystem that bears little resemblance to the world just before the Max was grounded in March 2019. Since then, the dynamics between the U.S. and China have shifted considerably, along with a pandemic that has reshaped its logistical relationship with the world. And all this against the backdrop of major shifts in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s approach to western business.
The industry is closely watching Boeing’s progress as a bellwether for its own health and that of the disrupted global supply chain. While its build rate will accelerate to 31 early next year, the company will need to advance its delivery rate well over that level in order to burn down its enormous inventory of 737 Max aircraft built and stored during the grounding.
Beyond labor shortages, constrained maintenance capacity, and a still-significant portion of the world’s fleet parked, a previously unthinkable challenge faces the industry as the global economy marches on. We may not have enough airplanes.
For Wisk and its major backers, it’s all or nothing — and if the startup can win a fully-autonomous certification, it offers Boeing a bridge to adapt those technologies to its next-generation airliners, a goal it has eyed since at least 2017.
Influential customer has “hard time seeing” 787 deliveries resuming before July, 777X certification likely to slip past 2023.
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