After a couple of poor years, it seems that Boeing is beginning to make its comeback when it comes to aircraft orders. Indeed, in February, the airline posted its first net-increase in orders since November 2019 following a wave of cancellations prompted by the 737 MAX grounding.
It is fair to say that the last couple of years haven’t been the best for the American manufacturing giant. With the 737 MAX grounded and the 777X facing lengthy delays, the manufacturer was only really left selling the 787, as other orders all but dried up. After a good February of orders, however, it seems the company is on the mend.
82 Orders in February
2021 is already looking to be a decisively better year than 2020 for Boeing, and we’ve only had results reported from two months so far. While January was a little bit of a dud in terms of orders, the manufacturer recorded 82 orders last month, bringing the year to date to 86.
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This is 47% of the total orders received in 2020 (184). Of the orders received in 2020, the vast majority came in the last quarter of 2020, with a total of 112 being for the ungrounded 737 MAX.
According to CNBC, the orders received in February are cause for celebration for Boeing. While the aircraft producer clocked 82 orders during the month, it only logged 51 cancellations. This means that it is the first time since November 2019 when orders haven’t outnumbered cancellations.
What about deliveries?
Boeing delivered 22 aircraft in February, with all bar four Being for the Boeing 737 MAX. Southwest Airlines took delivery of the most aircraft with five 737 MAXs, followed by United with three. ALC and Copa Airlines each took two, although ALC doesn’t want to call the aircraft by its MAX name.
Indeed, the only non-MAX aircraft that didn’t go to the US military included one 767-300F for UPS and one 777-300ER for the Russian airline Aeroflot.
What about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner?
While 737 MAX deliveries have taken off in the past month, the same can’t be said about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Indeed, according to Boeing’s records, not a single of its latest clean-sheet design has been delivered since October 2020.
We’ve seen many 787s ending up in storage at locations such as Victorville rather than being delivered. Indeed, just a month ago, we saw one of British Airways’ brand new Boeing 787-10s leaving Charleston. However, rather than flying east towards its future owner, the aircraft instead flew west to Victorville to join aircraft bound for Qantas, Qatar, Vistara, and other airlines.
Commenting, a Boeing Spokesperson told Simple Flying,
“As we’ve shared previously, we are taking time to conduct comprehensive inspections on 787s prior to delivery to ensure each meets our rigorous engineering specifications. Based on our current plans, we continue to expect to resume delivering 787s by the end of March; however, we will continue to take the time necessary and will adjust any delivery plans as needed. We remain in constant and transparent communication with our customers and regulators.”
What do you make of Boeing’s positive orders for February? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!
