Boeing said it delivered 85 commercial airplanes in the third quarter (Q3) of the year as against 24 deliveries in Q3 2020, marking an increase of 204 per cent.
Revenue from the commercial airplanes segment in Q3 increased to $4.5 billion primarily driven by higher 737 deliveries, partially offset by lower 787 deliveries. Third-quarter operating margin improved to (15.5) percent primarily due to higher deliveries.
Boeing is continuing to make progress on the global safe return to service of the 737 MAX. Since the FAA’s approval to return the 737 MAX to operations in November 2020, Boeing has delivered more than 195 737 MAX aircraft and airlines have returned more than 200 previously grounded airplanes to service.
A total of 31 airlines are now operating the 737 MAX, safely flying over 206,000 revenue flights totaling more than 500,000 flight hours. The 737 program is currently producing at a rate of 19 per month and continues to progress towards a production rate of 31 per month in early 2022, and the company is evaluating the timing of further rate increases.
The company continues to focus 787 production resources on conducting inspections and rework and continues to engage in detailed discussions with the FAA regarding required actions for resuming delivery.
The current 787 production rate is approximately two airplanes per month. The company expects to continue at this rate until deliveries resume and then return to five per month over time. The low production rates and rework are expected to result in approximately $1 billion of abnormal costs, of which $183 million was recorded in the quarter.
Commercial Airplanes secured orders for 70 737 MAX, 24 freighter, and 12 787 airplanes. Commercial Airplanes delivered 85 airplanes during the quarter and backlog included over 4,100 airplanes valued at $290 billion.
Boeing reported third-quarter revenue of $15.3 billion, driven by higher commercial airplanes and services volume.
“We are driving stability across our operations, investing in our future and positioning our teams to deliver for our customers as the market recovers,” said Boeing President and Chief Executive Officer David Calhoun.
“Commercial market demand continues to gain traction with broad-based vaccine distribution and border protocols beginning to open. Going forward, supply chain capacity and global trade will be key drivers of our industry and the broader economy’s recovery.
“Our portfolio across commercial, defense, space and services is well positioned, and we’re focused on improving performance, while advancing technologies and digital manufacturing capabilities to drive our next generation of products and a sustainable future,” he added.
