*

US lawmaker warns Ryanair against Chinese aircraft

purchase due

to security concerns

*

COMAC accused of ties to Chinese military, intellectual

property

theft

*

Ryanair CEO considers Chinese jets if inexpensive enough

(Updates with Ryanair comment in paragraph 2)

By David Shepardson and 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.

Ryanair responded to the letter by saying it would consider

cancelling planes it has on order from Boeing ( BA ) if U.S. tariffs

materially affect the price and look at alternatives, including

Chinese planemaker COMAC.

U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from

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

O'Leary that 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.

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.