Boeing falls further behind rival Airbus in jet deliveries

Boeing handed over 59 per cent fewer jets to its customers last year, lagging behind rival Airbus, after a 20-month ban on its best-selling 737 Max aircraft and manufacturing defects with its 787 Dreamliner jet.

The Chicago-based plane maker delivered 157 planes last year, compared with 380 jets in the previous year and a record 806 jets in 2018, according to Boeing’s orders and deliveries data released on Tuesday.

“Through the global pandemic, we took meaningful steps to adapt to our new market, transform our business and deliver for our commercial, defence, space and services customers in 2020,” said Greg Smith, executive vice president of enterprise operations and chief financial officer.

Boeing was eclipsed by European rival Airbus, which handed over 566 planes to customers, helping it to maintain a comfortable lead in global aircraft manufacturing.

The US plane maker’s data showed that it delivered 27 Max aircraft in December after the US Federal Aviation Administration allowed the narrow-body jet to resume flights a month earlier.

“The resumption of 737 Max deliveries in December was a key milestone as we strengthen safety and quality across our enterprise,” said Mr Smith.

However, the company did not deliver any 787s in November and December, with the wide-body jets undergoing inspections after production flaws were found.

“While limiting our 787 deliveries for the quarter, these comprehensive inspections represent our focus on safety, quality and transparency, and we are confident that we are taking the right steps for our customers and for the long-term health of the 787 programme,” said Mr Smith.

Boeing ended last year with 184 gross orders, down by a quarter from 246 in the previous year.

The aircraft maker won orders for 82 Max jets – 75 from Ryanair and seven from an unidentified customer – and eight 777 freighters last month, according to its website.

The company’s net plane orders for all models last year shrank by 1,026 after adjustments for cancellations and revised new jet orders.

Both Boeing and Airbus have been hurt by the Covid- 19 crisis that has forced airlines to ground jets, defer deliveries or cancel orders and slash costs to preserve cash.

“As we continue navigating through the pandemic, we are working closely with our global customers and monitoring the slow international traffic recovery to align supply with market demand across our wide-body programmes,” said Mr Smith.