President and CEO of Boeing Kelly Ortberg testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
New York: Boeing scored a jump in first-quarter plane deliveries, according to figures released Tuesday that pointed to an improving outlook after a difficult 2024.
The company, which experienced a bruising labor strike last fall after a high-profile safety lapse early in 2024, brought 41 planes to commercial customers in March, lifting the total for the first quarter to 130, its figures showed.
In the first quarter of 2024, Boeing delivered just 83 planes. Deliveries are closely watched because they are tied to revenues.
For the year-ago period, Boeing had slowed production on the 737 MAX following a mid-flight panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight that necessitated an emergency landing.
The Alaska Airlines incident also prompted heavy scrutiny from Washington and played a role in a leadership shakeup at the storied aviation company.
Kelly Ortberg, who took over as CEO in August, acknowledged to a Senate panel last week that the company had made "serious missteps" but emphasized that Boeing is making progress on improving quality control under a process closely monitored by US aviation regulators.
Of Boeing's deliveries in the first quarter, 105 were for planes in the 737 family, while 13 were for the 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Boeing also sealed 161 net orders in March following new commercial plane bookings from clients such as BOC Aviation and Japan Airlines and from shipping companies including FedEx.
