Boeing Appoints New Head for China Operations to Drive Growth

Boeing’s China division will have a new president, with Alvin Liu taking over the role at Boeing China in a few weeks’ time.

Liu will replace Sherry Carbary, the current president of Boeing China, effective September 1, 2023, with Carbary planning to retire later in 2023 following a 34-year career with the planemaker. Liu has been working as president at the manufacturer’s division in the country on an interim basis since July 10, 2023, Boeing noted.

Furthermore, the planemaker said that the new president will “be responsible for developing and implementing Boeing’s growth and partnership strategies in one the company’s largest commercial markets”. Being based in Beijing, Liu will directly report to Brendan Nelson, the president of Boeing Global.

In addition to China, Boeing Global fosters relationships with customers and partners in Africa, Australia, Europe, India, Israel, Japan, Latin America, Canda, the Middle East, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Turkey, according to its website.

“I am honored and excited for the opportunity to help expand on the incredible, 50-plus-year foundation of success and partnership that Boeing has built in China,” Liu said.

The China native has more than two decades of experience in the country, which includes working as the vice chairman of Greater China Operations at Ford, as well as other roles at Ford, Chrysler, and DaimlerChrysler.

Previously, Liu worked as the leader of the Government Operations team of Boeing China, overseeing relations with key officials and partners, as well as working with education and community outreach programs within the country.

Boeing has struggled to sell its aircraft in China, one of the largest commercial aviation markets in the world. Since 2019, companies based in the country have only ordered 40 aircraft, 18 of which were the Boeing 737 MAX, including an order of 15 737 MAXs from Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines.

The manufacturer has only delivered 79 aircraft to China-based airlines since 2019.

And while the Boeing 737 MAX was ungrounded by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in January 2023, Boeing has not been able to deliver aircraft of the type to customers within the country.

Brian West, the executive vice president of finance and chief financial officer (CFO) at Boeing, said that out of the 220 737 MAX currently in inventory, 85 were built for China-based airlines during the planemaker’s Q2 2023 earnings call. A further 55, previously destined for China, were remarketed to other airlines.

“We still expect most MAX inventory airplanes to be delivered by the end of 2024,” West added.

During the same earnings call, David Calhoun, the president and chief executive officer (CEO) at Boeing, said that the aircraft were remarketed “with the permission and constructive dialogue with our customers in China”.

“We are not dependent on it. We want to do it [deliver 737 MAX aircraft – ed. note], and we certainly want to support our customers in China, and we will be the free-trade beacon with respect to our administration and all the political influences,” Calhoun continued, adding that the company has been “getting good signals”.

However, the CEO emphasized that the company’s full-year guidance is not dependent on the Chinese market opening up.