(Yicai) June 16 -- Juneyao Air has become the first Chinese carrier to accept the delivery of a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner following big tariff increases in April.

The new wide-body plane departed Paine Field, north of Seattle, on June 13 and flew directly to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, according to Flightradar24 data.

Chinese airlines had stopped accepting Boeing planes since late April, after China imposed a high border tax on most goods imported from the United States in retaliation for jacked-up US tariffs on Chinese products. A Boeing 737 Max scheduled for delivery to Xiamen Airlines arrived at Boeing’s delivery center in Zhoushan, eastern China on June 9.

The Dreamliner has been in the spotlight since June 12, when an Air India flight bound for London crashed in Ahmedabad, killing at least 270 people. Another Air India Dreamliner heading for Delhi returned to Hong Kong airport today after the crew detected a potential technical issue following takeoff. Indian media reports confirm that the flight landed safely.

In the wake of last week’s fatal accident, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Chris Rochelo, acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, told a press conference that no immediate safety data had been found that would justify grounding Boeing 787s.

Boeing’s website shows that, as of March 31, around 130 Boeing aircraft are scheduled for delivery to Chinese airlines. By comparison, European rival Airbus plans to hand over 136 aircraft to buyers in China this year and 148 next year.

Editor: Emmi Laine