Boeing had a good month of September 2022 with 96 orders including 51 for the 737 MAX, and especially 51 deliveries to airlines including 14 wide-body aircraft – half of the 787 Dreamliner.
As of September 2022, the 96 orders posted by the American aircraft manufacturer include the 42 737 MAX 10 (plus 22 options) by Canadian company WestJet, seven other re-engine single-aisle aircraft being awarded to one or more anonymous customers, and two to BBAM Aircraft Management LP. On the wide-body side, China Airlines confirmed sixteen 787-9 Dreamliner, while orders for twelve 777X and two 777F are also unallocated.
Since the beginning of the year, Boeing has posted 542 gross orders including 424 for the 737 MAX family, eight 767F, thirty 777F, 33 for the 777X and 28 for the 787-9. After cancellations and conversions, this corresponds to 432 net orders as compared to 856 and 647 respectively for Airbus.
Deliveries are also good news for the airframer, which last month handed over 51 aircraft to its customers, including 36 737 MAX aircraft (including twelve for Southwest, seven for United Airlines and four for Ryanair).
On the wide-body side, seven 787 Dreamliner were delivered (three 787-8s to American Airlines, two 787-9s to ANA and WestJet, and two 787-10s to British Airways and United Airlines). Two 767-300Fs joined the FedEx Express and Maersk Aviation fleets, and two 777Fs joined FedEx Express and CES Leasing Corp., while the US Air Force received three additional 767-2Cs.
This is the first time since March 2019 that Boeing has posted more than 50 deliveries in a month. Since the beginning of 2022, the aircraft manufacturer has posted a total of 328 deliveries against 435 for its European competitor. Boeing’s backlog now stands at 4354 aircraft, after application of the ASC 606 accounting standard (5236 gross).
MAX 10 Regulatory Approvals
Meanwhile, Boeing does not anticipate winning approval for the 737 Max 10 before next summer, according to a Federal Aviation Administration letter sent on Monday last week which intensifies concerns about the company’s timeline for deliveries.
Boeing faces a December deadline to win regulatory approval for the MAX 10, which is slightly larger than current 737 MAXs in service, as well as for a smaller variant, the MAX 7.
Unless it gains an extension from Congress, Boeing must meet new modern cockpit-alerting requirements that could significantly delay the planes’ entry into service. The new cockpit alerting requirements are part of certification reform legislation that was passed in 2020 after two 737 Max crashes killed 346 people and led to a 20-month grounding for the best-selling plane.
Boeing has recently booked major MAX 10 orders from Delta Air Lines Canada’s WestJet Group and other carriers.
