By Allison Lampert
(Reuters) – Boeing said on Tuesday it delivered 43 commercial jets in July, unchanged from the same month a year earlier when it faced supply chain hurdles, as the U.S. planemaker works to grow aicraft production under new CEO Kelly Ortberg.
The company has pledged to grow output by the end of the year, after wrestling with supply chain snags and operating a slower assembly line since a Jan. 5 in-flight blowout of a door plug on a 737 MAX 9 jet that heightened regulatory scrutiny.
The company handed over 31 MAX jets to customers last month, including a handful to Chinese carriers. Boeing had said it resumed deliveries of its best-selling airplane in July to China, in a boost for the company, after a delay stemming from regulatory issues.
Boeing also finalized a guilty plea to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and agreed to pay at least $243.6 million after breaching a 2021 agreement with the U.S. Justice Department.
Boeing also reported 72 gross orders in July, up from 52 during the same month a year earlier, including orders for 57 737 MAX planes that were partly announced during the Farnborough Air Show.
After adjustments to reflect the backlog, Boeing reported adjusted net orders for the month of 72.
That brought Boeing’s gross order total so far this year through July 31 to 228. After removing cancellations and conversions, Boeing posted a net total of 186 orders since the start of 2024.
Following further accounting adjustments, Boeing reported adjusted net orders of 98 airplanes so far this year.
Year to date through July 31, Boeing delivered 218 airplanes, including 166 MAX jets.
Boeing’s European rival Airbus delivered 77 planes in July.
(Reporting By Allison Lampert in Montreal; editing by Jonathan Oatis)