Boeing’s Delivery Win May Signal Clearer Skies Ahead

Boeing is texting 143 to investors after it delivered 143 commercial jets last quarter and the jet-maker’s stock rose 5%. The nostalgic number represents a 10% uptick in Boeing’s deliveries from last year. Sales climbed 10% as Boeing narrowed its losses from $31 million in the same quarter last year to $7 million this go-round, led by its commercial unit. 

Sales in its smaller, but still sizable, defense biz soared 21% as US military orders for fuel tankers, choppers and spacecraft poured in. Boeing’s said to have built an $86 billion backlog of defense-related orders. 

Boeing’s pushing for a return to profitability after years of turbulence. How high it can soar depends on ramped-up production of its 737 Max planes — the same line that saw a door plug blow off into the sky in early 2024, taking customers’ trust and clients’ orders with it. 

Maxing Out Potential

Biscoff cookies weren’t enough to soothe fliers’ fears afterward. The incident compounded concerns following two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019, and the company’s been trying to regain cruising altitude ever since, bringing on Robert “Kelly” Ortberg as its crisis-time CEO. After years of procedural overhauls, Ortberg said “all systems are go” for the Max line:

• Boeing plans to churn out 47 737 Max aircraft a month, up from its current rate of 42. Making more than that will require a green light from the Federal Aviation Administration, which capped the plane’s production after the mid-air mishap. Boeing said it expects to start delivering two new models from the 737 Max line next year. 
• Boeing could also see a major order from Beijing for a reported 500 737 Max jets. A deal hinges on the Trump administration’s support and efforts, Ortberg told Reuters yesterday. President Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month. China’s also in talks to order the same number of jets from rival Airbus. 

Heated Rivalry: Airbus orders poured in after Boeing’s door-plug debacle. But Boeing bounced back, outselling Airbus last year for the first time since 2021 and edging out its competitor in terms of deliveries last quarter for the first time since 2018. Alaska Airlines backed Boeing with its largest fleet order ever in January, while other carriers chose Boeing for its fuel efficiency and wide-body options. Spirit Airlines, which could soon score a Trump rescue package, canceled its upcoming Airbus orders last year.