Boeing reports lowest order numbers in 30 years following 737 Max catastrophes

Boeing lost orders last year for the first time in three decades, as the 737 Max crisis impacted the company’s reputation and finances. The aerospace company reported on Tuesday that it had 87 more cancellations than new purchases in 2019. The figures included the cancellation of three 787 Dreamliners in December. In the same month, Boeing failed to book any 737 Max orders as customers avoided the model after two fatal crashes that have led to a worldwide grounding. Boeing delivered 380 commercial airplanes in 2019, the lowest level since 2007, and fewer than half the 786 planes its main rival Airbus delivered last year, a record for the European jet maker. Boeing’s numbers are especially bleak compared with Airbus’s 768 orders for new planes for 2019. The European plane maker currently has a 10-year production backlog on orders, or 7,482 commercial planes, while Boeing finished the year with a backlog of 5,406.<br/>