Boeing strike sinks October deliveries to 14 jets

Boeing said on Tuesday it delivered 14 commercial jets in October, less than half of the 34 jets it handed over to customers during the same month in 2023, after a weeks-long strike halted most of its aircraft production.

The US planemaker is requiring all of its West Coast factory workers to be back at work on Tuesday after the strike ended on November 5, but added in a statement that it will be several weeks before airplane production gets fully underway.

Boeing is facing heightened oversight by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as it resumes output of its strongest-selling 737 MAX jets, along with 767, 777 and 777x models, after their production was halted during the strike which started on Sept. 12.

The planemaker is trying to grow 737 production to hit a rate of 38 a month to generate needed revenues, after the strike weighed on its September and October deliveries. Boeing 787 production in South Carolina was not affected by the strike.

The planemaker delivered 34 jets during October 2023, when it struggled to correct a manufacturing defect in the 737 MAX.

Boeing was already operating a slower 737 MAX assembly line since a January 5 in-flight blowout of a door plug on a near new model heightened regulatory scrutiny.

Boeing said it will continue monitoring production to ensure safety and quality and will ensure employee training certifications are current.

October deliveries included nine 737 MAXes, four 787 and one 767 freighter for FedEx, according to Boeing. From the strike's beginning through October, the company delivered 24 aircraft.

The company booked 63 gross orders during the month with no cancellations, including 46 737s, four 777 freighters and 10 787s.

Since the beginning of the year, Boeing has recorded 378 gross orders and 335 net orders after cancellations and conversions. After also adjusting for accounting standards, Boeing booked 141 net orders.

Boeing said 220 gross orders, or nearly 60 per cent of its orders during the year, were placed between July and October.

Boeing's European rival Airbus said on November 7 it had delivered 62 jets in October, as the world's largest planemaker tries to reach an annual goal of "around" 770 planes, revised down from 800 in July after supply chain problems.