Suparna Airlines takes delivery of its first Boeing 777 freighter

Chinese carrier Suparna Airlines, headquartered at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, has marked a major milestone with the delivery of its first Boeing 777 freighter, registered B-227U (MSN 70288).

According to Planespotters.net, Suparna Airlines has one additional Boeing 777 freighter on order.

The delivery flight took place on September 24, when the aircraft departed Everett (PAE) at 11:48 hrs and landed in Nanjing (NKG) on September 25 at 14:54 hrs. The flight took about 12 hours and 6 minutes, according to Flightradar24.

The carrier currently operates three Boeing 747-400 freighters and 10 Boeing 737-800s. With the new Boeing 777 freighter, its fleet has grown to 14 aircraft.

Earlier today (September 25), Reuters reported that this marks the first new-build Boeing 777 freighter delivered to a Chinese carrier since the onset of the U.S.–China tariff war. However, Boeing’s latest orders and deliveries data, as of August 31, 2025, indicate that Chinese companies, including Air China Cargo, China Southern Airlines, and CES Leasing Corporation, a financial leasing arm of China Eastern Airlines, have received multiple 777 freighters since February this year.

Air China Cargo took delivery of two aircraft, one in February and another in June. China Southern Airlines received two freighters in February and March, while CES Leasing Corporation accepted four units in April, June, July, and August.

Established in 2002, Suparna Airlines is the only carrier under HNA Aviation Group that operates both passenger and cargo services. It began as Yangtze River Express, a cargo-only airline based at Shanghai Pudong Airport. In 2015, following the launch of passenger operations, it was rebranded as Yangtze River Airlines before adopting its current name, Suparna Airlines.

Boeing confirmed the delivery through its official WeChat account. Boeing said nearly 60 777 freighters are already in service with six Chinese carriers.

Earlier this year, China had blocked Boeing deliveries in response to U.S. tariffs, a restriction later eased after a temporary tariff truce between Washington and Beijing. On Tuesday, a group of U.S. lawmakers visiting Beijing said they had discussed a deal with top Chinese leaders that could see China commit to buying more Boeing jets, Reuters reported.

While according to a Bloomberg report, Boeing is in talks to sell as many as 500 aircraft to China.