Boeing is in active discussions over a potential order of approximately 500 737 MAX jets from Chinese carriers — a deal that CNBC and Bloomberg described as potentially one of the largest commercial aviation transactions in company history.
CEO Kelly Ortberg traveled to Beijing as part of President Trump's diplomatic trade delegation, lending executive-level weight to negotiations that Boeing needs to go right. The company has been clawing back credibility since the 2019 MAX groundings and the subsequent production quality problems that hit deliveries in 2023 and 2024.
What happened
CNBC reported on May 7 that the White House included Boeing in the China trip agenda, with Ortberg present to advance the 737 MAX discussions directly. Bloomberg's May 11 feature detailed Boeing's broader comeback strategy — next-generation aircraft development, the Trump relationship and China market re-entry — as converging in the Beijing visit. Simple Flying called the potential 500-jet order the company's biggest comeback deal in view, noting that Chinese airlines have been flying Airbus narrow-bodies to fill gaps created by the 737 MAX delivery drought.
Why it matters
A 500-jet order from China would reopen what was once Boeing's second-largest market by delivery volume. List prices for the 737 MAX 8 and MAX 10 are in the $100M to $135M range, implying a headline deal value of $50B to $67B before customary airline discounts. More than the revenue, it would validate Ortberg's thesis that Boeing can rebuild relationships damaged during the quality-crisis years and compete against Airbus on terms of both product and diplomacy.
Market impact
BA shares have been tracking the China diplomatic calendar closely in 2026. Any formal letter of intent or framework agreement signed during the Trump-Xi meetings would be a near-term positive for the stock. Spirit AeroSystems, which supplies 737 MAX fuselages, and GE Aerospace, which provides the LEAP-1B engine, are the clearest supply-chain beneficiaries. The deal would also improve Boeing's production-rate economics at Renton, Washington, where the MAX is built.