Boeing orders and deliveries slipped in January

Boeing’s aircraft orders and deliveries slipped in January from Dec. 2022. Boeing delivered 38 jetliners last month, 35 of them its bestselling 737 Max planes, down from a total of 69 planes in December. The delivery count was still was higher than the 32 planes Boeing handed over to customers in January 2022.

The figures don’t include a massive order from Air India for nearly 500 new planes from the manufacturer and its chief rival, Airbus, which was formalized earlier Tuesday.

Air India ordered at least 220 Boeing planes and 250 Airbus planes, making the combined sale the biggest aircraft order ever as airlines prepare for a further recovery in air travel as Covid pandemic travel concerns wane.

Last month, Boeing said it planned to ramp up output of its 737 Max to 50 planes a month in 2025 or 2026, though it’s been cautious about increases beyond the current pace of 31 per month because of instability in the supply chain.

The company logged 55 gross orders in January, netting orders for 16 new planes after 39 cancellations.

Boeing’s CFO, Brian West, will brief analysts and investors during a Cowen industry conference on Wednesday morning.

Leslie Josephs www.cnbc.com