Boeing announced on Tuesday that it received nearly 1200 commercial airplane orders last year, surpassing its European competitor Airbus for the first time since 2018. This milestone signifies the latest sign of recovery for the aviation manufacturing giant.
In December last year, the American aviation giant Boeing received net orders for 174 aircraft, bringing its total orders for 2025 to 1173 aircraft. On the other hand, Airbus revealed on Monday that its net orders for 2025 were 889 aircraft.
Boeing delivered 63 jetliners to customers last month, reaching its highest annual delivery total in seven years with 600 aircraft. The company had faced setbacks in production due to two air disasters in 2018 and 2019, followed by a series of other issues. Boeing stated on Tuesday that out of the airplanes delivered last year, 44 were Boeing 737 MAX models.
In comparison, Airbus delivered 793 aircraft last year, still higher than Boeing but lower than the record of 863 deliveries set by the European manufacturer in 2019.
Engine and other supply chain issues continue to impede aircraft deliveries. Delivery is crucial for aircraft manufacturers as airlines pay most of the fees upon receiving the aircraft.
Among Boeing’s orders of 174 aircraft last month were over 100 Boeing 737 MAX planes announced by Alaska Airlines. Delta Air Lines also announced earlier on Tuesday that it had ordered at least 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets, the first batch of this wide-body aircraft. Deliveries will begin in the early 2030s, indicating that airlines are already securing delivery slots for the next decade to update their fleets and achieve business growth.
The increase in orders marks progress for Boeing as it rebounds from a challenging 2024.
In early January 2024, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane experienced a harrowing incident in the air when a door plug in the rear cabin suddenly burst and fell off. While the flight later landed safely with no serious injuries, the incident raised widespread concerns about this aircraft model. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) quickly ordered the grounding of all airlines’ 737 MAX 9 aircraft for quality inspections.
Subsequently, Boeing strengthened quality control and production processes under close supervision by the FAA.
In October last year, the FAA approved Boeing to increase production of the 737 MAX from 38 aircraft per month to 42.
(Taken reference from CNBC report)