Boeing Plane Deliveries Tumble So Far in 2019

By Patrick Thomas 

Boeing Co. said it delivered fewer planes in the first seven months of 2019 than a year ago -- falling further behind rival Airbus SE -- as the impact of grounding the 737 MAX jetliner weighs on the U.S. plane maker.

Chicago-based Boeing delivered 258 planes this year through July, down from 417 planes in the same period a year earlier. Airbus shipped 458 planes this year through July, putting Airbus on track to surpass Boeing this year as the world's biggest aircraft manufacturer.

Boeing's shares rose 0.7% on Tuesday as shares in Airbus were up 1.5%.

Boeing recorded a fifth straight month without any orders for the 737 MAX. The plane has been grounded by regulators around the globe since March following two fatal crashes in less than six months.

The plane maker has said it hopes the plane will resume flights in the fourth quarter, but some airlines and regulators have said they expect fixes to the plane's software will be ready for the plane to be cleared to fly again next year.

The prolonged grounding is starting to weigh on airlines and Boeing's suppliers as well. Southwest Airlines Co. sped up its decision to stop flying at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport because of the grounding of its MAX fleet, and makers of some plane parts have cut production.

Deliveries through July for Boeing's 777 and 787 Dreamliner, were 24 and 90, respectively, Boieing said.

Austen Hufford contributed to this article.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 13, 2019 12:56 ET (16:56 GMT)

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