A file photo of a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft being assembled at the company’s plant in Washington in the US, last year. — JENNIFER BUCHANAN/Reuters
Boeing delivered 57 commercial aircraft in August, its best performance for the month since 2018, in the latest sign of steadying factory operations as the American planemaker targets faster production rates.
The tally, which included 43 of Boeing’s 737 family of jets, is the second-highest of the year and marks an uptick from July, according to data posted recently on the company’s website.
August’s results underscore Boeing’s recent improvements in stabilising its factories as the manufacturer prepares to ask regulators for permission to return output of the best-selling jet to pre-Covid-19 levels.
Gross orders for Boeing totalled 26 during the month against two cancellations. The company recorded 83 net orders, including those added to its backlog under a United States accounting provision for at-risk deals. For the year, the company has landed 725 gross orders against 600 for its French competitor, Airbus.
Boeing has started to narrow an output gap with market leader Airbus that’s stood since the US manufacturer fell into a series of crises starting with the first of two fatal 737 Max crashes in late 2018. Through August, Boeing has delivered 385 jets this year to 434 for its European rival, which handed over 61 aircraft for the month.
Since the beginning of 2024, Boeing’s output deficit to Airbus has narrowed by more than half, based on the average of trailing six-month deliveries, according to Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu.
Boeing is sharing with US regulators a series of measures of the health of its production system ahead of a formal request to speed its 737 assembly lines to a pace of 42 jets per month, from the current cap of 38.
The company has told airline customers it’s optimistic it will be able to raise rates by October, Ryanair Holdings chief executive officer Michael O’Leary told reporters on Aug 27. – Bloomberg
