147 New Commercial Aircraft In 2005 Is Enough, Say Officials

The bad news is that China has slapped a moratorium on the delivery of aircraft not already in the pipeline. The good news is that an order for 60 Boeing 7E7s appears to be unaffected by the move.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports Yang Yuanyuan, China's aviation regulatory chief, says 147 aircraft -- the number already scheduled to be delivered to China in the coming year -- is enough for now. He's worried about runaway growth in the aviation sector.

"The demand in aviation and transportation has shown a heated situation not seen in many years," Yang said in a statement on the Civil Aviation Agency's web site. "The civil aviation industry is facing excellent development opportunity, but at this time, it is also easy to develop in an overheated way."

Boeing anticipates a group of Chinese airlines will order approximately 60 7E7 Dreamliners in 2005. But, since those aircraft won't be delivered until at least 2008, the deal is not expected to be influenced by Yang's decision.

Boeing estimates China will need approximately 2,300 new aircraft between now and 2023, according to a study by the aerospace company.

FMI: www.boeing.com