Boeing plane deliveries are the highest in years. Now it’s ramping up
A Boeing Co. aircraft at the company’s manufacturing facility in Renton, Washington, USA, on Thursday, November 20, 2025. 737 Max plane.
David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Boeing’s This week it will report that it delivered the most aircraft last year since 2018 after stabilizing its production; This is the clearest sign of a turnaround after years of security crises and snowballing quality flaws.
The aerospace giant now plans to increase production.
“It’s a long road back from a pretty dysfunctional culture, but they’re making great progress,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of aerospace industry consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory.
Boeing has been forced to scale back production in recent years after two fatal crashes of its popular 737 Max plane in 2018 and 2019 and the explosion of a door plug in the air on one of its planes in the first week of 2024. Even after the worst of the health crisis had passed, the Covid pandemic disrupted aircraft assembly at both Boeing and its chief rival, Airbus; There were delays in the supply chain and loss of experienced workers.
A Boeing 737 approaches San Diego International for landing on May 10, 2025.
Kevin Carter | Getty Images
Boeing’s leaders, including longtime aerospace executive CEO Kelly Ortberg, who retired months after the mid-air gatecracker crash, are preparing to ramp up production of money-making 737 Max planes and longer-range 787 Dreamliners this year.
That could help the producer, the largest U.S. exporter by value, return to profitability this year as analysts expect; The region had been unreachable for seven years because its leaders were focused on damage control and stuck trying to reassure frustrated airline executives waiting for late flights.
Their attitudes changed as Boeing became more predictable and production increased with the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration. In a sign of the FAA’s growing confidence in Boeing, the agency said in September that Boeing could issue its own airworthiness certificates before acquiring some of the 737s and 787s after years of restrictions.
Boeing’s commercial aircraft business is its largest unit, accounting for about 46% of sales in the first nine months of last year, with the rest coming from its defense and services businesses. Boeing last reported a full-year profit in 2018.
Investors are optimistic about further developments. Boeing shares have gained 36 percent in the last 12 months. S&P 500We made almost 20% progress.
“Boeing is definitely better and more stable,” said Bob Jordan, CEO of All-Boeing airline Southwest AirlinesIn an interview on December 10.
The company is scheduled to outline its 2026 production plans at the end of this month, when it will announce its quarterly results on January 27.
getting into gear
The recent turnaround for Boeing has largely occurred on the assembly floor.
In June, the National Transportation Safety Board said problems at the company included inadequate training and management oversight, according to its investigation into what led to the door plug exploding in January 2024.
On December 8, Boeing also completed its acquisition of airframe manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems, which Boeing spun off from the company two decades ago. It now has more direct control over key suppliers.
Transport of jets
Boeing delivered 537 aircraft in the first 11 months of last year. It reports December deliveries on Tuesday, but Jefferies estimates the company delivered 61 commercial jets last month; 44 of these are Boeing’s best-seller, the 737 Max.
Boeing delivered 348 aircraft in 2024 and 528 in 2023. Last year’s total would still be a far cry from the 806 aircraft it delivered in 2018.
Kelly Ortberg, chief executive officer of Boeing Co., during a media event at the Boeing Delivery Center in Seattle, Washington, USA, on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
M. Scott Brauer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
What’s handed over to airlines in 2026 will likely be new production, compared to clearing out old inventory, Malave said. He also added that Boeing is likely to produce about eight Dreamliners per month starting early this year.
Deliveries are crucial for aircraft manufacturers because airlines and other customers pay most of the aircraft price when they receive the aircraft. Boeing’s chief rival, Airbus, is scheduled to report 2025 orders and deliveries on Monday.
Still, many aircraft currently expected to fly passengers, including the Boeing 777X as well as the Max 7 and Max 10 variants, have not yet been certified, starving Boeing of cash and increasing costs.
Southwest is expecting the delayed Max 7, the smallest plane in the Max family. The model is important for airline routes where demand is lower, so airlines can reduce fares by supplying excess seats to the market.
Southwest CEO Jordan said last month that the airline does not expect to fly the Max 7 before the first half of 2027 while Boeing certification efforts continue. Boeing at one point expected it to enter service in 2019.
“They’re still very short of delivering the aircraft we need, but I’m happy to see the progress on the Max 7,” Jordan told CNBC.
Strong demand
Orders for both Boeing and Airbus jets look solid and demand will continue to exceed supply over the next decade, Bernstein aviation analyst Douglas Harned said in a note last week.
Airbus overtook Boeing in deliveries last year, but Boeing appears to have outpaced its European rival in new orders.
During November, Boeing recorded 1,000 gross orders compared to Airbus’ 797 gross orders. Airline customers have begun to look beyond this decade, shifting delivery windows to the mid-2030s as they plan for growth and international expansion.
on wednesday, Alaska Airlines He said that he ordered 105 Boeing 737 Max 10 jets, the longest aircraft of the Max group. Alaska fleet chief Shane Jones told CNBC that the order is a sign of “our confidence in the Max 10 certification” as well as “our confidence in Boeing and their turnaround and their ability to produce quality aircraft on time.”
Alaska also exercised options for five 787 Dreamliners for more international routes a year after acquiring Hawaiian Airlines; This combination gave Alaska more Dreamliners and Airbus A330s to reach destinations it could not reach before, such as Japan, South Korea and Italy.
Bank of America aviation analyst Ron Epstein said the wide-body aircraft market is now gaining momentum and orders are starting to be delivered to customers faster.
International travel has been particularly strong, especially at the higher end, as travelers took holidays around the world in the years after the pandemic. More global airlines plan to buy long-haul jets such as Boeing’s Dreamliner and Airbus’ A330 and A350s in the coming years, heating up the wide-body aircraft market, analysts said.
Planes around the world flew at the highest level on record in November, with an occupancy rate of almost 84%, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association, an airline industry group.
While travel demand remains strong, orders to replace old jets and supply new ones will continue to support growth.
“The magic of air transportation, so to speak, is until someone finds a carrier, you know. [like] We’ll be flying in ‘Star Trek,’ where you kind of evaporate and emerge somewhere else,” said Epstein.
