Boeing Orders & Deliveries Drop Again

Boeing has experienced another slow month as the manufacturer continues to battle ongoing investigations and other related difficulties.

For May, the manufacturer said it could only deliver 24 aircraft across its commercial airplanes division, less than half of the same period one year prior.

Of the 24 aircraft delivered in the month, 19 were for the 737 MAX family, representing nearly a 50% reduction year over year. The 737 MAX is typically its best-performing aircraft. However, performance has been slashed in recent months.

Furthermore, order tallies stagnated significantly, with Boeing only recording four total orders. EVA Air announced a further commitment to the 787 series to boost its long-haul fleet, which was the only deal for the month.

When factoring in cancellations and conversions, Boeing’s net total order tally for the 2024 calendar year stands at 103. However, this figure was further adjusted to reflect the backlog, reaching 130.

July’s edition of the 2024 Farnborough Airshow will be important for Boeing to announce or get closer to securing landmark contracts with customers. Several major airlines are in talks to place orders, and the American planemaker, despite its difficulties, will want to be best positioned to obtain at least most of these contracts.

If Boeing cannot secure these, it risks falling further behind Airbus and facing a larger mountain to reclaim the world’s largest and arguably best aircraft manufacturer.

Boeing Production Difficulties

Aircraft production has continued to slow as Boeing has faced difficulties raising production and meeting current restrictions. The FAA barred an increase in production as planned at Boeing because it feared the implications for the turnaround efforts.

While Boeing agreed this was the right move, it was determined to be able to increase production once more eventually, but that has ultimately not happened. As a result, some delays spiral out of control as airlines await aircraft, and months and months of waiting are required.

These delays result in airlines seeing negative financial impact. Emirates is looking to seek compensation. Meanwhile, several other airlines have also been negatively affected financially and have expressed their frustrations publicly.