Boeing's 2021 was starting off pretty well -- until its latest 737 Max woes

Boeing on Tuesday reported strong orders and deliveries for March and the first quarter. But Boeing's rebound is already at risk of unraveling. In March, Boeing took new orders for 185 of its 737 Max planes, including a 100-jet order from Southwest --the biggest since the plane's grounding. But Boeing also still has airlines canceling orders for the plane, with 156 cancelled orders in the month. Delivers were also strong in March, with the 19 737 Max planes, three military versions of the 737, and seven widebody jets, including two of the 787 Dreamliners to United Airlines, the first 787 deliveries since last fall due to a separate problem with that plane's production. The 29 planes delivered in March brought first-quarter deliveries to 77. That's by far its best quarter since 2019, before the pandemic brought demand for air travel to a near halt and forced airlines to delay the delivery of new jets in order to conserve cash. The deliveries are important because Boeing gets most of the cash from a sale at the time the plane is delivered. Although March was a good month for Boeing, the company announced a new problem with the Max Friday, advising 16 airlines to not fly the plane until it can be checked for a possible electrical problem. Boeing (BA) has yet to say how many of the planes are affected.<br/>