Airbus regains leadership over Boeing; understand dispute – 05/09/2023 – Market

Airbus delivered 54 planes in April, taking its 181 aircraft so far this year, down 5% from the same period a year earlier but enough to re-establish industry leadership over U.S. rival Boeing, data showed. of the company this Tuesday (9).

The world’s biggest planemaker still sold five aircraft in April, all to undisclosed companies or private customers, taking total new orders this year to 161 jets, or a net total of 144 after cancellations.

Boeing, which had overtaken Airbus in deliveries amid first-quarter supply problems, earlier said it had delivered 156 jets in the first quarter of 2023.

Boeing’s deliveries fell to 26 planes in April, less than half the total recorded in the previous month, after a manufacturing defect forced the company to stop some shipments of its best-selling jet, the 737 MAX.

Shipments to MAX customers, which rose to 52 jets in March, fell to 17 last month, taking deliveries from the US manufacturer to the lowest level since July 2022. The volume was also lower than the 35 planes delivered in April last year.

Airbus monthly data also revealed three new cancellations of A320neo jets ordered by Viva Air, the Colombian airline that is being absorbed by Avianca, the country’s main airline.

Airbus declined to provide detailed comments on its order backlog. Avianca was not immediately available for comment.

Airbus plans to make 720 deliveries this year. The company had already targeted this level in 2022, before reducing to 700 and then abandoning the target completely due to supply chain problems.

Boeing received 13 net orders, after accounting for 21 canceled orders, including a three MAX sale and lease agreement with BOC Aviation.

In addition to the MAXs, Boeing also delivered six 787 Dreamliners, a 767 Freighter, a 777 Freighter and a 737-800 jet to its defense division to be converted into a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for South Korea.

The latest impediment to Boeing deliveries involves two struts connecting the aft section of the MAX’s fuselage with the vertical tail, which were installed incorrectly by airframe maker Spirit AeroSystems.

Boeing estimates that about 75% of the 225 MAXs in its inventory have struts that will need to be reinstalled before customers can take delivery of the aircraft.