Boeing 737 Max planes sit on the airport in Renton, Washington.
Leslie Josephs | CNBC
Boeing handed over 348 airplanes in 2024, a few third fewer than it did a yr earlier because the aerospace giant struggled with a crisis after a midair door panel blowout a yr ago and a machinist strike in the autumn that halted production.
The tally widened the delivery gap with Boeing’s chief rival, Airbus, which gave 766 jetliners to customers last yr, essentially the most since 2019, though each corporations are facing supply chain strains which have slowed production and success of their otherwise robust backlogs.
In December, Boeing delivered 30 airplanes because it restarted production of its bestselling 737 Max planes after the nearly eight-week machinist strike ended the month before. Deliveries are key for manufacturers since it is when customers pay the majority of an airplane’s price.
A shortage of aircraft from suppliers has driven up lease rates, with rentals expected to hit records this yr, aviation data firm IBA said in a report this month.
Boeing logged 142 gross orders in December for brand new planes, including 100 737 Maxes for Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines and 30 787s for flydubai, whose intention to buy was first unveiled on the Dubai Air Show in late 2023. Boeing also took greater than 130 orders off its books for India’s now-defunct carrier Jet Airways.
Boeing’s gross orders for the yr stood at 569, while net orders were 377 airplanes — 317 including accounting adjustments. Airbus, which released its December and full-year tally last week, said it logged 878 gross orders last yr and 826 net orders.
Boeing is scheduled to report fourth-quarter and full-year results before the market opens on Jan. 28, when CEO Kelly Ortberg and other Boeing leaders will face investor questions on their plans to ramp up production and restore the aerospace giant’s profitability.
