American Airlines Flight 718, the first American Boeing 737 MAX commercial flight since regulators lifted a 20-month basis in November, departs from Miami, Florida, on December 29, 2020.
Marco Bello | Reuters
Boeing said Tuesday it had delivered 26 aircraft to customers last month, but the cancellation of orders continued to surpass new sales as the manufacturer continues to struggle in the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Chicago-based company sold four new aircraft in January, 747-8 cargo ships for the cargo airline Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, and recorded six cancellations.
Boeing’s backlog of aircraft ordered but not yet delivered was 4,016 at the end of the month, including routine adjustments for orders the company considers dangerous, compared to 4,055 at the end of December. In January 2020, Boeing’s deficit was 5,393.
The 26 deliveries included 21 of its 737 Max aircraft. Boeing resumed delivery of the beleagured aircraft to airlines in December after federal regulators lifted the 20-month basis following two fatal accidents that killed 346 people.
The company did not deliver any 787 Dreamliners, the wide-body aircraft, the handover of which to customers, Boeing, was delayed, so that it could increase the inspections after they found problems with certain seams on the aircraft. Last month, the company said it would resume delivery of these aircraft later in the first quarter, predicting that “very little, if any” would be delivered in February.
Boeing’s problems starting with the 737 Max expanded with the Covid-19 pandemic, which weakened demand for new aircraft. But the challenges are not just limited to the 737 Max or 787 Dreamliner production issues.
Last week, Boeing said it had reduced its backlog of its latest jet, the 777X, by more than a third after announcing that it did not expect the wide-body aircraft to enter service until late 2023. It was previously predicted more than two years later and driven by weaker demand and increased regulatory scrutiny of aircraft following the 737 Max crashes.