Summary
- Boeing faced plummeting orders and deliveries in April, impacted by safety concerns and whistleblower complaints.
- Airbus outperformed Boeing in April, securing more orders and deliveries and showcasing intense competition.
- FAA’s Boeing 737 MAX 9 fleet grounding affected deliveries, with quality concerns and inspection issues reported.
Boeing’s aircraft orders slumped in April, recording just seven. The US aircraft manufacturer has been facing a media storm with whistleblowing controversies and the backlash of Alaska Airlines AS1282, which saw a plug door blow out in flight. The Federal Aviation Administration is limiting the production of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft due to concerns about quality after multiple staff members publicized that the manufacturer has compromised safety to produce airplanes quicker. US regulators have also investigated several allegations of falsified inspection records on the 787 widebody production line.
The seven aircraft orders included two 777-9, two 787-10 for undisclosed customers, and three 787-9 destined for Isreals, EL AL.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Deliveries also slumped to just 24, the lowest since February 2022. However, on a more positive note, it celebrated the completion and delivery of its 1500th 737 MAX aircraft, destined for Europe’s ultra-low-cost carrier, Ryanair.
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Deliveries in April
Ryanair received three 737 MAX 8-200 in April, with another three MAX 8 headed to Air India Express. For widebody variants, four 787s went to Japan’s All Nippon Airways, one for Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines and another single aircraft for Juneyao Airlines, a Star Alliance connecting partner based in Shanghai. Two 767s ended up with UPS for freighters, and two 777Fs were destined for Eva Air and Qatar Airways.
The slowdown of deliveries can be attributed to the FAA’s grounding of the 737 MAX 9 fleet, which saw 171 aircraft taken out of service after the cause of the AS1282 controversy, noticed that locking bolts were missing from the emergency exit plug. Even once the issue was resolved, the FAA disclosed that 32 whistleblower complaints were filed to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Photo: Boeing
In a report by Reuters, Boeing stated that the slowdown in production of the MAX aircraft was due to concerns about manufacturing quality following the Alaska Airlines incident and increased scrutiny from US regulators. Deliveries for the MAX jets were 16, down one compared to April 2023. April 2023 was also plagued by a supplier defect, where Spirit AeroSystems identified that fittings in the aft fuselage were not correctly attached.
Airbus is leading the pack
For April, the European airplane manufacturer left Boeing in the dust regarding orders and deliveries, with 57 gross orders committed. 33 customers received a total of 61 aircraft in April, bringing the total number of deliveries to 203 so far this year.
Adding to the burn for Boeing, India’s popular low-cost carrier also solidified its long-haul ambitions, ordering 30 A350-900 aircraft. This confirmed the airline as one of the fastest-growing airlines on the planet and further deepened its ties with Airbus.
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