The General Aviation Manufacturers Association, a lobby representing the private jet industry, also criticized the trade war, saying: “Tariffs would affect the intricate and very complex global supply chain that can take years to establish given that it relies on suppliers with unique capabilities that are highly regulated and therefore cannot be easily replaced.”
Aerospace expert Jerrold Lundquist raised the same issues, noting that “a Boeing 737 has about 2,000 parts coming from 700 separate suppliers.”
Aircraft parts “frequently pass international borders more than once,” Lundquist added, noting that “this makes assigning a value to be tariffed very difficult,” and that process could cost extra time and money.
Adding to the tariff uncertainty is the impact on sales in the fast-growing Chinese market.
“The biggest victim will likely be Boeing … especially since China’s four largest airlines, all majority-owned by various levels of the Chinese government, will likely shift their focus to domestically produced aircraft (COMAC) and Airbus,” Dewulf said.
“I don’t see China increasing its Boeing purchases in the near future either. This situation could present an opportunity for Airbus to expand its market share in China, particularly in the wide-body segment with aircraft like the A330 and A350,” he added.