By Sharon Terlep

Boeing Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg threatened to stop making jets for China after airlines there returned a pair of planes.

Ortberg said Wednesday that the company would find other buyers for Boeing jets rejected by China in recent days if airlines there won't take them. He said Chinese airlines returned the planes because of high tariffs resulting from the U.S.-China trade war.

"We are not going to continue to build airplanes for customers who will not take them," he said.

China is restricting deliveries of Boeing-made jets, telling Chinese airlines not to place new orders for Boeing jets and requiring carriers to seek approval before taking delivery of already-ordered aircraft.

Boeing's move would be a blow for China, which relies almost exclusively on Boeing and Europe's Airbus for commercial jets. For Boeing, China's rejection of the planes saps revenue as the company looks to stem cash burn.

This item is part of a Wall Street Journal live coverage event. The full stream can be found by searching P/WSJL (WSJ Live Coverage).

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 23, 2025 11:10 ET (15:10 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.