Boeing Reports Order Rebound in February

By Doug Cameron

Boeing Co.'s orders grew for the first time in 14 months during February as it notched deals for 82 wide body planes and 737 MAX jetliners.

Customers continue to cancel and defer some aircraft orders because of the pandemic-driven travel slowdown, but the return of the MAX to commercial service is lifting overall deliveries.

Boeing's order haul included 27 of its KC-46A military refueling tankers and a VIP version of its 747-8 jumbo that previously had been left unsold, as well as 54 commercial jetliners.

Singapore Airlines Ltd. added 11 Boeing 777X jets, converting a previous order for 19 of the smaller 787-10, while unidentified customers added four more Dreamliners.

United Airlines Holdings Inc. last month agreed to buy another 25 MAX jets, with 14 more going to unidentified customers.

Boeing also added back orders for 16 planes previously classified as doubtful because of customers' financial position, including five MAX jets and 11 777s.

Customers including Canada's WestJet canceled orders for 32 MAX jets in February, while Boeing delivered 18 of the planes to airlines in Europe and the Americas, with 14 carriers now operating the plane.

Boeing also delivered a 777-300ER to Aeroflot-Russian Airlines PSC as well as a 767 freighter and two military versions of its commercial jetliners.

Airbus SE delivered 32 jets in February and secured 11 new orders, but its backlog fell by 81 after a slew of cancellations.

Both plane makers slowed aircraft production because of the industry downturn, though plan to boost output of single aisle jets later in the year.

The wide body jets commonly used on longer international routes remain a problem area for both companies, with Boeing also hamstrung by quality issues with its 787 that have forced it to freeze any deliveries since last October.

Write to Doug Cameron at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 09, 2021 11:14 ET (16:14 GMT)

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