In September, Boeing delivered 51 aircraft and booked 90 commitments to its order log as the manufacturer continues to anticipate strong demand for new aircraft. Including last month’s numbers meant that Boeing delivered approximately 328 aircraft this year, an average of close to 37 per month.
Boeing gets the Dreamliners going
Last month’s deliveries also tied with Boeing’s 51 deliveries in June, marking the second time the manufacturer had exceeded the 50-aircraft threshold since March 2019. The steady growth is also a leap from Boeing deliveries in August, which rose to 35 aircraft after its Boeing 787 Dreamliner program resumption.
Among the 51 aircraft delivered, 14 were widebody aircraft, including seven Boeing 787 Dreamliners, marking the most in a singular month that Boeing has delivered in over two years. Three of which were Boeing 787-8s delivered to American Airlines. Together with the one aircraft received in August, American Airlines has received four Boeing 787s from Boeing, and all are in active service.
Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) also received a Boeing 787-9 in September via a deal with aircraft lessor Atlantis Aviation, while Canada’s WestJet also took in another Boeing 787-9. The manufacturer then delivered one Boeing 787-10 each to British Airways and United Airlines.
New orders, new cancelations
Boeing landed new orders for 96 aircraft in September, including 51 Boeing 737 MAX, of which WestJet ordered 42 for the MAX 10 variant. An unnamed aircraft lessor ordered another five, and the remaining four were from unidentified customer(s). Concerning widebody orders, Boeing received 16 Boeing 787-9s from China Airlines, 12 Boeing 777X, and two Boeing 777Fs from unnamed customers.
However, the month also came with cancellations, bringing Boeing’s net order for September to just 90 aircraft. The cancelations involved a Boeing 787-9 unwanted by an unidentified customer, and India’s rising low-cost carrier Akasa Air also nixed five Boeing 737 MAX. The airline still intends to operate the aircraft under a sale-and-leaseback deal, as the orders were transferred to an aircraft lessor.
As such, Boeing’s commercial order backlog currently sits at 4,354 aircraft. The majority goes to the narrowbody with 3,510 Boeing 737s, followed by 413 Boeing 787s, 314 Boeing 777s, 113 Boeing 767s, and three Boeing 747s. Although Atlas Air received the third from the last Boeing 747-8F a week ago, that delivery was not counted in the manufacturer’s third quarter numbers.
Year-to-date, for its third quarter, Boeing has logged orders for 542 aircraft and 114 cancelations. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Bottom line
Although Boeing faces the same worrying problems regarding the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 10, it’s still encouraging that the manufacturer has managed to keep its delivery outputs rising after a tough year. It’s equally encouraging to see the Boeing 787 Dreamliners delivered more consistently after the resumptions, and it seems like the manufacturer can end this year in slightly less turbulent conditions.
As for fourth quarter deliveries, it would be exciting to see which airlines will get their long-awaited aircraft, considering how many of the aircraft have been lining up at North Charleston after being fully painted and tested. The possibilities for the fourth quarter could include ANA, British Airways, Korean Airlines, and Singapore Airlines, to name a few.
Which airline(s) do you think will be getting their Boeing 787 Dreamliners soon? Let us know in the comments below!