Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE
The first of only two Boeing MD-90-30Ts that will be built under licence in China is nearing completion, but doubts hang over the future of the aircraft and its factory.
According to Boeing, flight testing of the first aircraft will start soon, with delivery to Shenzhen Airlines due to start by the end of this month. The second aircraft is due for delivery to Shenzhen around February.
But sources close to the programme say the aircraft are no longer wanted by Shenzhen, which now operates Boeing 737-300s and -700s. The MD-90-30Ts were allocated to Shenzhen by the Chinese Government, but the airline is now looking for an existing MD-90 operator to buy them, say the sources.
Originally, 20 of the aircraft were to be built by Shanghai Aviation Industrial (SAIC) under a contract to meet the Chinese TrunkLiner requirement.
The TrunkLiner programme was cancelled in August 1998 at the request of the Chinese Government and Aviation Industries of China (AVIC). This request came after Boeing took over McDonnell Douglas and terminated the MD-90 programme.
SAIC vice-president Yuan Zhenfu has told Chinese reporters that more than 6,000 production workers and 1,000 designers at Dachang could lose their jobs once the second aircraft is finished.
Long-running talks are continuing about placing wing production work for the Boeing 717 in China to compensate for the demise of the TrunkLiner, say Chinese sources. Discussions have also been held about the possibility of co-producing the Boeing 717 in China in a joint venture with Chinese industry, although these talks remain unofficial.
One senior source close to the programme says it is unlikely that this would become a serious negotiating topic without a firm Chinese order for the 717.
Source: Flight International
