Boeing’s October Deliveries Down Because Of 737 Fuselage Flaw

Boeing announced today that it delivered 35 aircraft in October, down from 51 in September, due to a 737 fuselage flaw. For the first time since July 2019, the American aircraft manufacturer did not lose orders through cancelation.

October deliveries reduced because of fuselage flaw

A flaw in the fuselage of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft delayed deliveries during October. This delay resulted in a drop of 16 aircraft from September to October. Boeing did communicate with investors and customers that the flaw would impact its ability to deliver aircraft in October.

During an investor event last week, Stan Deal, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said,

“We’ll recover on that quickly. We can surge and we will recover for our deliveries at the end of the year, but that adverse quality which we have to manage out of the system was an impact.”

In addition to the fuselage flaw, labor shortages and supply chain problems have hindered manufacturing worldwide. Some United States carriers have expressed frustration with the delays, impacting schedules.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Of the 35 aircraft delivered in October, 23 were 737s, the best-selling Boeing-manufactured aircraft. Through the first nine months of 2022, Boeing delivered 363 planes, and almost 300 included the MAX 8 and 9 variants of the MAX family.

October orders

October was a busy month for the Virginia-based manufacturer. Boeing received orders for 122 aircraft, up from September’s 96. One hundred six aircraft ordered last month were for the MAX family, thanks to large orders from Alaska Airlines and the International Airlines Group(IAG). Ten Dreamliners were also ordered in October, but the customer(s) was not disclosed. After July, October was Boeing’s best month for aircraft orders in 2022.

Boeing’s backlog now sits at 4,441 aircraft, and 3,590 are for the MAX variants. The popular Dreamliner family’s backlog sits at 420 aircraft, representing about 9.45% of the total backlog. There are 318 777s in Boeing’s backlog, about 7.16% of the total. Next comes the 767, a popular freighter aircraft, with 111 or 2.49% of the backlog. And finally, the ‘Queen of the Skies’, the Boeing 747, has two remaining deliveries before the program is fully closed.

Emirates Announces Firm Order Of Five More Boeing 777 Freighters

Earlier today, Emirates announced a firm order for five more Boeing 777-200LR freighter aircraft. The order is worth more than $1.7 billion and brings the airline’s current widebody orders to 200 aircraft.

Photo: Emirates

Emirates’ CEO HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said,

“… This order reflects Emirates’ confidence in airfreight demand and overall aviation sector growth. It lays the ground for our continued growth, which is driven by the reach of our diverse global network, the advanced handling infrastructure at our Dubai hub, and the tailored transport solutions that Emirates has developed to serve our varied customers’ needs.”

Emirates was the launch customer of the 777F, and it has become the workhorse of the airline’s cargo operations. The airline currently has a fleet of 11 777F aircraft and has plans to convert additional passenger aircraft to freighters.