Boeing delivers more planes than Airbus, proving the airline company is back to compete with rivals. In Q1 of 2023, Boeing delivered 130 jetliners compared to 127 by French rival Airbus. Boeing deliveries were high in March when the airline maker delivered 64 commercial aircraft, the second-highest delivery month in four years.
The US Company delivered 130 commercial planes in Q1, with its 737 MAX accounting for 111 planes representing 85% of its deliveries.
The highlights for the deliveries of each type are:
- 111 737 MAX – Air Lease Corporation 12, Alaska Airlines three, Ryanair 14, Southwest Airlines 29, United Airlines 21, 777 Partners 4, Republic of Iraq 4, WestJet 4
- 11 x 787 – Air France-KLM 787-10, Lufthansa three 787-9, Qatar Airways 787-9, United Airlines two 787-10 and one each to American Airlines 787-8, Japan Airlines 787-8, Vistara 787-9, AerCap 787-9
- 4 x 777F – Air China Cargo, CES Leasing Corporation, China Postal Airlines, China Southern Airlines
- 1 x 747-8F – Atlas Air Worldwide
- 1 x 767-300F – FedEx Express
- 2 x 737-800A – Government of Korea, BDS New Zealand
Insights in March Deliveries
Of the 64 aircraft delivered in March, 52 were 737 MAXs, 7 were 787 Dreamliners, 4 were freighters, and 1 was 737-800A. Boeing deliveries in March were just one less than in December last year; however, it is a positive sign for the company since it was double the February output. The Republic of Iraq helped with the output by ordering 737 MAXs daily.
The surge in deliveries was contributed by the rework of 737 MAXs and 787 Dreamliners that were previously grounded. Completing the rework and ensuring timely deliveries has been a challenge for Boeing.
Currently, Boeing is making 31 737 MAXs and 3 787 planes per month, which shows that nearly half of the March deliveries were from the parked aircraft models. Also, the March surge could have been attributed to airlines taking early deliveries for spring break and Easter holiday travel. The company delivered a 767-300F to FedEx Express, the first in 2023, after a fault was discovered in the interior painting of fuel tanks.
A Month of Strong Orders
In March, the aircraft manufacturer had 60 airplane orders and 22 canceled orders. As a result, Boeing had a net of 38 new orders for the month, which do not include the announced orders from Saudi Arabia for 78 wide bodies or Air India mixed bag of 220 planes. The aircraft manufacturer restored 22 aircraft that were previously in doubt.
Lastly, by the end of March 2023, Boeing had a backlog of 5356 aircraft, but it has been adjusted to 4555 to meet US accounting standards.
