Boeing Deliveries Drop By 38% In Seven Months

Boeing delivered 38 per cent fewer planes in the first seven months of 2019 than the same period a year earlier, as the grounding and doubts around the future of its best-selling 737 MAX jets hurt operations.

Reuters reported that deliveries totalled 258 aircraft in the seven months through July, compared to 417 last year, and trailing far behind the 458 aircraft handed over in the same period by European rival Airbus SE.

The numbers put Boeing on course to lose the crown of world’s biggest planemaker, which it has held uninterrupted for seven years.

The 737 MAX has been grounded worldwide following two fatal accidents that killed more than 300 people and both Boeing and airlines continue to extend the timelines for when it will return to service.