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a day ago
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Boeing's losses shrink as jet deliveries rebound
By Dan Catchpole and Shivansh Tiwary (Reuters) -Boeing's quarterly losses more than halved and were much smaller than analysts' predictions as the U.S. planemaker ramped up jet production and deliveries, recovering from a regulatory crisis and a major strike that halted most production last year. Shares of the planemaker rose 2.4% in premarket trading as the results highlighted Boeing's efforts to cautiously increase monthly output this year, following years of quality issues and production delays on its flagship 737 MAX. An improvement in deliveries marks a pivotal step in Boeing's effort to rebound from years of production disruptions and crises that piled on debt, highlighting the urgency of accelerating output to restore financial stability. The planemaker's free cash flow usage, a key metric for Wall Street, also came in better than expected, signaling an improving cash position. "As we continue to execute our Safety & Quality Plan, there's more stability in our operations," CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a letter to Boeing employees on Tuesday. In May, the company produced 38 737s and production has been stable since then, according to the company. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had capped the production of Boeing's best selling 737 MAX jets following a mid-air panel blowout in a nearly new jet in January 2024. "We plan to seek FAA approval to increase to rate 42 when our key performance indicators (KPIs) show that we're ready," Ortberg added. It delivered 206 737 MAX jets through the first half of the year. Wall Street closely tracks aircraft deliveries, because planemakers collect much of their payment when they hand over jets to customers. Boeing also increased 787 production at its plant in Charleston, South Carolina, from five aircraft a month to seven a month. Through the first half of the year, the planemaker booked 668 orders, or 625 net orders after cancellations and conversions. It reported free cash flow usage of $200 million for the quarter, compared with analysts' expectations of $1.72 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Operating profit in its defense, space and security business came in at $110 million, compared with a loss of $913 million a year ago. The planemaker posted an adjusted core loss per share of $1.24 for the quarter through June, compared with $2.90 a year ago. Analysts had expected loss of $1.48 per share. Revenue for the quarter rose 35% to $22.75 billion, beating analysts' estimates of $21.84 billion.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
Air India crash rekindles debate over cockpit video recorders
By Dan Catchpole SEATTLE (Reuters) -The deadly Air India crash last month has renewed a decades-old debate in the aviation industry over installing video cameras monitoring airline pilot actions to complement the cockpit voice and flight data recorders already used by accident investigators. One of the industry's most influential voices, International Air Transport Association head Willie Walsh, a former airline pilot, said on Wednesday in Singapore there was a strong argument for video cameras to be installed in airliner cockpits to monitor pilot actions to complement voice and flight data recorders already used by accident investigators. Aviation experts have said a preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) raised questions over whether one of the pilots of Air India flight 171 cut off fuel to the Boeing 787's engines seconds after takeoff, leading to an irrecoverable situation. The crash in Ahmedabad, India, killed 241 of the 242 people aboard, as well as 19 people on the ground. As of now, "based on what little we know now, it's quite possible that a video recording, in addition to the voice recording would significantly assist the investigators in conducting that investigation on the issue of mental health," Walsh said. Advocates for cockpit video cameras say the footage could fill in gaps left by the audio and data recorders, while opponents say concerns about privacy and misuse outweigh what they argue are marginal benefits for investigations. Video footage was "invaluable" to Australian crash investigators determining what led to Robinson R66 helicopter breaking up in mid-air in 2023, killing the pilot, the only person aboard, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report, which was released 18 days after the Air India crash. The video showed "the pilot was occupied with non-flying related tasks for much of this time, specifically, mobile phone use and the consumption of food and beverages," the report said. The ATSB commended Robinson Helicopters for providing factory-installed cameras and said it encouraged other manufacturers and owners to consider the ongoing safety benefits of similar devices. In 2000, U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jim Hall urged the Federal Aviation Administration to require commercial airliners be equipped with cockpit image recorders. Hall's recommendation came in the wake of 1999's Egyptair Flight 990 crash, when the first officer intentionally crashed the Boeing 767, according to the NTSB, killing all 217 people on board. "In the balance between privacy and safety, the scale tips toward safety, unequivocally," air safety expert and former commercial airline pilot John Nance said. "Protecting the flying public is a sacred obligation." Another aviation safety expert, Anthony Brickhouse, said that as an accident investigator, he is in favor of cockpit video, but acknowledged that commercial pilots have real concerns. Video on Air India flight 171 "would have answered lots of questions," he said. Air India declined to comment. India's AAIB, which is expected to release a final report within a year of the crash under international rules, did not reply to request for comment. PILOT OBJECTIONS U.S. pilots' unions such as the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Allied Pilots Association (APA) say the voice and data recorders already provide enough information to determine the cause of a crash and that the cameras would be an invasion of privacy and could be misused. Calls for cockpit cameras are an understandable reaction to "the stress of not knowing what happened immediately after an accident," said APA spokesperson Dennis Tajer, an American Airlines pilot. "I can understand the initial reaction of the more information, the better," but investigators already have enough data to adequately determine an accident's cause, leaving no need for cameras, he said. To make flying safer, current safety systems should be enhanced to record higher-quality data, rather than adding video cameras, an ALPA spokeperson said. There are also concerns the footage could be used by airlines for disciplinary actions or that video could be leaked to the public after a crash, said John Cox, an aviation safety expert, retired airline pilot and former ALPA executive air safety chairman. A pilot's death being broadcast on "the 6 o'clock news is not something that the pilot's family should ever have to go through," he said. If confidentiality can be assured around the world, "I can see an argument" for installing cameras, Cox said. Cockpit voice recordings are typically kept confidential by investigators in favor of partial or full transcripts being released in final reports. Despite that, International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations said it was skeptical that confidentiality could ever be assured for cockpit videos. "Given the high demand for sensational pictures, IFALPA has absolutely no doubt that the protection of (airborne image recorder) data, which can include identifiable images of flight crewmembers, would not be ensured either," the organization said in a statement. Boeing declined to disclose whether customers are able to order cockpit video recorders, while Airbus did not reply to request for comment.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
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Boeing delivers 60 jets in June, including 8 to China, as it resumes deliveries
By Dan Catchpole SEATTLE (Reuters) -Boeing said Tuesday that it delivered 60 airplanes in June, a 27% increase compared to a year earlier, including eight to Chinese customers for the first time since a trade spat between the countries ended. Beijing had banned delivery of Boeing aircraft in April as a tariff dispute escalated between the world's two biggest economies, but in May, it removed that ban, as the two countries agreed to temporarily cut steep tariffs. Aircraft deliveries are closely tracked by Wall Street because planemakers collect much of their payment when they hand over jets to customers. The surge in deliveries comes as Boeing seeks to recover from years of production setbacks and crises that have left it burdened with debt, underscoring the critical importance of ramping up deliveries to stabilize its finances. Boeing delivered 42 of its best-selling 737 MAX jet, nine 787s, four 777 freighters and five 767s, including three to be finished by Boeing's defense division as KC-46 aerial refueling tankers. Southwest Airlines took delivery of 10 737 MAX aircraft. Five of the 737 MAX jets were for Chinese airlines. Boeing also delivered three other jets to Chinese customers, including a 787 and two 777 freighters. The company delivered 44 jets the previous month and 45 in June 2024. Through the first half of 2025, Boeing has delivered 280 jets, including 206 737 MAX aircraft, 37 787s, 14 767s, 20 777s and three older model 737s to be finished as P-8 Poseidons, a naval reconnaissance airplane. Boeing booked 116 gross new orders in June, including 54 737 MAXes and 62 787s. Alaska Airlines ordered 12 737s, and British Airways ordered 32 787s. Singapore Airlines also cancelled orders in June for three 737 MAX jets. June's order activity was a drop from May, when Boeing posted its sixth-highest monthly order tally in Boeing's history, according to company data. Through the first half of the year, the planemaker has booked 668 orders, or 625 net orders after cancellations and conversions. European rival Airbus delivered 60 aircraft in June, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics consultancy. Seven of those were widebody aircraft - three A330s and four A350s. Forty-one were single-aisle A320 and A321 jets that compete with Boeing's 737, and 12 were A220 regional jets. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boeing delivers 60 jets in June, including 8 to China, as it resumes deliveries
By Dan Catchpole SEATTLE (Reuters) -Boeing said Tuesday that it delivered 60 airplanes in June, a 27% increase compared to a year earlier, including eight to Chinese customers for the first time since a trade spat between the countries ended. Beijing had banned delivery of Boeing aircraft in April as a tariff dispute escalated between the world's two biggest economies, but in May, it removed that ban, as the two countries agreed to temporarily cut steep tariffs. Aircraft deliveries are closely tracked by Wall Street because planemakers collect much of their payment when they hand over jets to customers. The surge in deliveries comes as Boeing seeks to recover from years of production setbacks and crises that have left it burdened with debt, underscoring the critical importance of ramping up deliveries to stabilize its finances. Boeing delivered 42 of its best-selling 737 MAX jet, nine 787s, four 777 freighters and five 767s, including three to be finished by Boeing's defense division as KC-46 aerial refueling tankers. Southwest Airlines took delivery of 10 737 MAX aircraft. Five of the 737 MAX jets were for Chinese airlines. Boeing also delivered three other jets to Chinese customers, including a 787 and two 777 freighters. The company delivered 44 jets the previous month and 45 in June 2024. Through the first half of 2025, Boeing has delivered 280 jets, including 206 737 MAX aircraft, 37 787s, 14 767s, 20 777s and three older model 737s to be finished as P-8 Poseidons, a naval reconnaissance airplane. Boeing booked 116 gross new orders in June, including 54 737 MAXes and 62 787s. Alaska Airlines ordered 12 737s, and British Airways ordered 32 787s. Singapore Airlines also cancelled orders in June for three 737 MAX jets. June's order activity was a drop from May, when Boeing posted its sixth-highest monthly order tally in Boeing's history, according to company data. Through the first half of the year, the planemaker has booked 668 orders, or 625 net orders after cancellations and conversions. European rival Airbus delivered 60 aircraft in June, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics consultancy. Seven of those were widebody aircraft - three A330s and four A350s. Forty-one were single-aisle A320 and A321 jets that compete with Boeing's 737, and 12 were A220 regional jets. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
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Boeing books 303 new orders and hits 737 MAX production target in blockbuster May
By Dan Catchpole SEATTLE (Reuters) -Boeing is heading into the Paris Air Show after a blockbuster May that included booking 303 new orders and rolling out 38 new 737 MAX jets, a production rate that it has been working to reach for more than a year. The company also delivered 45 aircraft last month, it said Tuesday. It was the sixth-highest monthly order tally in Boeing's history, according to company data. The orders included the largest widebody jet deal in Boeing's history: Qatar Airways' order for 130 787s and 30 777Xs, plus options for another 50 of the long-haul aircraft. However, only 120 787s were added to Boeing's order backlog, according to the company. It did not clarify the discrepancy. The Qatar deal was announced during President Donald Trump's whirlwind Middle East tour, which included a string of high-profile business deals. One day earlier, Saudi Arabian-owned lessor AviLease ordered 20 737-8 MAX jets. Another Gulf region carrier, Etihad, said it planned to order 28 widebody Boeing jets, but it did not place a firm order, so the aircraft were not included in May's total. Canadian airline WestJet also ordered seven 737 MAX jets. The company also canceled two orders for 737s. In total, three orders were canceled during the month, making for 300 net new orders in May. Its order backlog rose to 5,943 orders as of May 31. Boeing delivered 45 aircraft in the month, its fifth consecutive month of 40 or more deliveries. The total was nearly twice as many deliveries as the 24 aircraft the company handed over to customers during the same month one year earlier. Aircraft deliveries are closely watched by Wall Street because planemakers are able to collect the majority of their payment when they hand over jets to customers. The company handed over 31 737 MAX jets, including seven to United Airlines and four to Alaska Airlines, and seven 787s, including three to Qatar Airways from earlier orders. It also delivered five 777 freighters, one 767 freighter and one 737 NG to be converted into a P-8 Poseidon for the U.S. Navy. None of the deliveries were to Chinese airlines, which stopped taking new Boeing aircraft in April as the two countries clashed over tariffs. China removed the ban after the Washington and Beijing agreed to temporarily cut tariffs. A new 737 MAX landed in China on Monday, according to flight tracking data, the first to arrive since the ban was removed. So far in 2025, Boeing has delivered 220 aircraft: 164 737 MAXes, three 737 NGs for conversion into P-8s, 28 787s, 16 777s and nine 767s. European rival Airbus has delivered 243 aircraft so far this year, including 51 deliveries in May. The company did not announce any new orders last month. However, Airbus is expected to announce several deals during the Paris Air Show, which starts Monday. Boeing said on Tuesday that it rolled out 38 new 737 MAX aircraft in May, hitting a production target that it has been working to reach for more than a year. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration capped output at 38 airplanes a month due to quality concerns exposed by a mid-air panel blowout in a nearly new 737 in January 2024. Monthly production of its best-selling 737 MAX has varied up and down in recent years as the company grappled with internal and external production problems and constraints. A strike last year at its plants in Washington and Oregon shut down production of the popular single-aisle airplane. Since production resumed in December, the company has taken a slow and deliberate approach to increasing the rate. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has said the company has to stabilize production at 38 per month for several months before asking the FAA to increase output. All six production quality and safety metrics created by the company and U.S. regulators are green, according to the company. Sign in to access your portfolio
