Airlines

Boeing orders, deliveries slip in January, before massive Air India jetliner sale

Key Points
  • Boeing delivered 38 jetliners in January and netted orders for 16 planes.
  • The manufacturer has been hesitant to ramp up production before stabilizing its supply chain.
  • The report reflects the month before Air India formalized an order for close to 500 planes from Boeing and its chief rival, Airbus.

In this article

A Boeing 737 MAX 10 airliner pauses while taxiing on the flight line before its first flight at Renton Municipal Airport on June 18, 2021 in Renton, Washington.
Stephen Brashear | Getty Images

Boeing's aircraft orders and deliveries slipped in January from a month earlier.

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.

Air India places massive order for Boeing and Airbus aircraft
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Air India places massive order for Boeing and Airbus aircraft

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.