Boeing announced on Monday that it handed over 51 aircraft in February, an improvement from the 46 jets delivered in January and the planemaker's best February total since 2018. The tally outpaced Airbus for the month, even as Boeing continues to wrestle with problems surrounding premium-class seating for 787 Dreamliners.
Investors watch deliveries closely because planemakers typically receive the majority of payment when aircraft are transferred to customers. Boeing has trailed Airbus in annual deliveries each year since 2018, a gap that remains in industry scrutiny.
Delivery breakdown
- Single-aisle: Boeing delivered 43 737 MAX single-aisle jets in February, including a jet for Chinese carrier Shenzhen Airlines.
- Certification milestone: The Shenzhen Airlines delivery represented the final one of the hundreds of 737s that required modifications after two 2018-2019 MAX crashes exposed flaws in the jets' autonomous flight control systems.
- Widebody: Boeing delivered eight widebody aircraft in February: three 787 Dreamliners, two 777 freighters and three 767s. Of the 767s, two were freighters and the third is slated for conversion into a military aerial refueling tanker.
Despite the Dreamliner deliveries, the three 787s handed over in February fall well short of Boeing's targeted 787 production cadence of eight jets per month. The company has attributed the shortfall to delays in outfitting some Dreamliners with high-end first- and business-class seats.
Lufthansa received one 787 in February. Flight records indicate the carrier is still awaiting 13 Dreamliners that are parked at Boeing facilities across the United States. Boeing declined to comment on the parked jets.
Airbus and order activity
For February, Airbus delivered 33 single-aisle aircraft - comprised of eight A220s, four A320neos and 21 A321neos - as well as two A350 widebodies.
Boeing reported 21 new orders in February: seven single-aisle 737 MAX jets, eight 787s and six 767s. Five of the 787 orders were placed by Kazakhstan flag carrier Air Astana. Canadian carrier WestJet ordered two 787s but also cancelled six 737 orders; after accounting for cancellations and conversions, Boeing's net new orders for the month totaled 15.
Airbus logged 28 new orders in February with no cancellations or conversions. Air Astana's orders included 20 A321neos and five A320neos, while Airbus also recorded two A321neo orders from Tigerair Taiwan and one A320neo order from a private customer.
Through the first two months of the year, Boeing's books show 118 orders after cancellations and conversions and 97 deliveries. Airbus has recorded 38 orders and 54 deliveries over the same period.