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US lawmaker warns Ryanair against Chinese aircraft

purchase due

to security concerns

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COMAC accused of ties to Chinese military, intellectual

property

theft

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Ryanair CEO considers Chinese jets if inexpensive enough

By David Shepardson, Allison Lampert

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. lawmaker

has warned Ryanair against purchasing Chinese-made

aircraft due to security concerns, following comments by the CEO

of the low-cost Irish airline that he would consider buying

Chinese jets at the right price, according to a letter seen by

Reuters.

U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from

Illinois, said in the April 29 letter to Ryanair CEO Michael

O'Leary that Chinese planemaker COMAC has close ties to the

Chinese military and that evidence indicates it has benefited

from the illicit acquisition of foreign intellectual property.

"Respectfully, U.S. and European airlines should not be even

contemplating the future purchase of airplanes from Chinese

military companies," said the letter from Krishnamoorthi, the

top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Chinese

Communist Party.

The Chinese government has repeatedly denied U.S. claims

that its commercial companies steal intellectual property or

that they are used to advance Chinese military capabilities.

Reuters could not immediately reach COMAC for comment.

Ryanair was not immediately available for comment.

Last month, O'Leary told the publication Skift he would order

aircraft from China if the price was right, echoing earlier

signals that the Irish carrier would look for aircraft beyond

Boeing ( BA ) and European rival Airbus.

O'Leary's remarks have gained increased attention amid a

U.S.-China trade war which is impacting Boeing ( BA ) and other

aerospace companies. Boeing ( BA ) is a top U.S. exporter.

Boeing ( BA ) recently flew three 737 MAX jets that had been stationed

in China for delivery to Chinese airlines back to the United

States, and has indicated a number of its customers in the

country would not accept the planes due to the tariffs.

COMAC's C919 - designed to compete with best-selling

narrow-body models from Airbus and Boeing ( BA ) - entered service in

China in 2023 after winning domestic safety certification in

2022.

While it would take years for the C919 to be certified by

Europe's aviation regulator, Krishnamoorthi said in the letter

that COMAC is attempting to dominate the planemaking industry at

the expense of Boeing ( BA ) and Airbus.

Ryanair is waiting to take more jets from Boeing ( BA ), along with the

long-delayed certification of its MAX 10, in the wake of a wider

safety crisis at the U.S. planemaker.

But O'Leary told the Financial Times in mid-April that the

airline would likely delay delivery of Boeing ( BA ) jets if tariffs

are imposed on the aircraft.

The U.S. aviation industry is lobbying the White House for

exemptions from tariffs, asking them to restore the duty-free

regime under the 1979 Civil Aircraft Agreement.