BOEING STARTS YEAR WITH FOUR ORDERS, 26 JET DELIVERIES

Boeing delivered an improved 26 aircraft in January, boosted by the clearing of the 737 MAX jet to fly again after a 20-month ban as it also won four new orders for its 747-8 freighters. MAX deliveries are seen as central to Boeing’s financial recovery in 2021 after a sharp slump in demand for its bigger, more profitable wide-body jets due to the coronavirus crisis added to the company’s woes last year. Boeing, which books revenue after actual deliveries, said it handed over 21 737 MAX jets last month, along with one P8 military plane and four widebody aircraft other than the 787 Dreamliner that had no deliveries for the third straight month. The overall figure compared to 39 aircraft in December and was double the 13 planes delivered in January of 2020, as Boeing struggled with the MAX’s grounding.