(New York) The American aircraft manufacturer Boeing delivered only 15 copies of its flagship 737 MAX aircraft in September, the lowest level in more than two years, due to a problem with part of its fuselage, according to data published Tuesday on its website.
The group announced at the end of August a slowdown in its production and delivery rate because of this problem concentrated on the rear watertight bulkhead of the device requiring the inspection of “hundreds of holes”.
Chief Financial Officer Brian West said in September that about 75% of the 220 aircraft in stock at Boeing at the end of the second quarter were notably affected.
You have to go back to August 2021 to find monthly 737 MAX deliveries below 15.
“The good news […] is the influx of new orders. “Demand for travel has returned with a vengeance and airlines are placing orders that reflect their confidence in the future,” commented Neil Saunders, director of GlobalData.
But “the problem for Boeing is that deliveries are falling behind schedule while its order book is constantly filling up,” he added, stressing that the aircraft manufacturer only receives the bulk of the payment. upon delivery which could impact its results.
And, according to him, “the impression persists that Boeing does not properly control the industrial side of its activity.”
All models combined, Boeing delivered 27 aircraft to its customers in September and 371 since the start of the year (328 over the same period of 2022).
“Regarding the year as a whole, we had a range of 400 to 450 planned deliveries of the 737. We are not changing this range, but I expect that we will be in the lower part”, had specified Mr. West.
As of the end of September, 280 copies of the 737 MAX had been delivered since the start of the year.
In terms of gross orders, the group has recorded 224 new aircraft in its books, including 150 for Ryanair as part of a contract announced in May (150 firm and 150 optional), 18 for Air Canada and 50 for United Airlines. Since the start of the year, they represent 848 aircraft.
Its order book reached 5,783 aircraft at the end of September.
At around 1:45 p.m. ET, Boeing stock was up 2.84% at $193.85 on the New York Stock Exchange.