Summary
- Boeing has reportedly warned customers about potential 737 MAX delivery delays in the next two years.
- In Q2 2024, Boeing delivered 70 737 MAX aircraft, with another 67 in Q1.
- However, Boeing’s executive detailed that the manufacturer has sold out 737 MAX delivery slots through 2028.
Sources have indicated that Boeing told some customers that its best-selling aircraft, the 737 MAX, would be delayed by several months, potentially affecting deliveries that were due in 2025 and 2026, which was another setback for the aircraft manufacturer.
Delivery delays
According to a report by Bloomberg and Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, Boeing has warned customers of potential delays of the 737 MAX in 2025 and 2026. The affected aircraft were scheduled for delivery during the two-year period, with aircraft arriving later between three and six months.
In Q2, the aircraft manufacturer delivered 70 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, with its year-to-date (YTD) deliveries being 137. Boeing is scheduled to announce its second quarter results on July 31, 2024, which will show how the company was fairing amidst a multitude of issues affecting its performance.
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During the same quarter, Boeing also delivered six 767F, seven 777F, and nine 787 aircraft, with nine, seven, and 22 deliveries YTD, respectively. In total, the manufacturer handed over 92 aircraft in Q2 and 175 YTD.
Q2 2024 deliveries were also temporarily affected by China stopping these processes due to a review of batteries inside cockpit voice recorders inside all of Boeing’s aircraft. Boeing delivered four aircraft to China in June, namely one 737 MAX each to 9 Air and ICBC Leasing, as well as two 777Fs to Air China Cargo.
In comparison, by Q2 2023, Boeing had delivered 136 aircraft, including 103 737 MAX, eight 767F, five 777F, and 20 787, totaling 216 737 MAX, one and the final-ever 747-8F, nine 767F, nine 777F, and 31 787 during the first six months of 2023.
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Numbers were significantly down compared to 2023.
Aiming for improvement in 2025
Brian West, the chief financial officer (CFO) and executive vice president of finance of Boeing, said during the Wolfe Research Global Transportation & Industrials Conference in late May that the manufacturer would enter 2025 in a spot that the company thought they were this year.
However, as Boeing has continued to build stronger quality and safety foundations within its factories, including the definitive agreement to buy Spirit AeroSystems, its key supplier, the manufacturer will be in a much better position during the following year.
During the same conference, West reiterated that Boeing produced fewer than 38 737 MAX aircraft per month during the first half of the year, with plans to accelerate back toward the 38 per month rate during the back half of the year.
Photo: VDB Photos | Shutterstock
In a media event in June, Elizabeth Lund, the senior vice president of quality of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), detailed the steps that the manufacturer has taken to improve its quality processes since the Alaska Airlines flight AS1282 mid-air door plug blowout. The event resulted in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revoking the company’s access to new information related to the Alaska Airlines incident.
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The Boeing executive’s statements related to the Alaska Airlines incident have resulted in sanctions by the NTSB.
Sold out until the late 2020s
Nevertheless, at a Bank of America (BofA) Global Industrials Conference in March, West detailed that Boeing has still seen strong demand for its commercial products, including the 737 MAX and 787. According to the executive, Boeing has sold out delivery slots through 2028 and has been quoting deliveries for both programs in 2029 and early 2030.
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying
Boeing’s orders and deliveries page showed that in June, the manufacturer booked only three orders for the 737 MAX, which included Alaska Airlines swapping the 737 MAX 9 involved in the door plug blowout incident to a 737 MAX 10, which was still not certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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The airline has dozens of Boeing 737 MAX 10 on order.