Boeing deliveries slip to five-month low in July

Boeing jetliner deliveries fell to a five-month low of 26 airplanes in July, highlighting the pressure on global supply chains as it prepares to resume deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner. The US planemaker said monthly deliveries included 23 737 Max jets and three wide-body freighters, bringing Max deliveries so far this year to 212 jets and total deliveries to 242. The figures do not include the imminent resumption of 787 Dreamliner deliveries after a year-long suspension over production issues. The U.S. government on Monday approved the first 787 delivery since May 2021, people briefed on the matter said. July’s Boeing data does, however, underscore industrial snags testing the aerospace industry after Airbus reported lower July deliveries on Monday. At roughly half the 51 handovers seen in the previous month, Boeing’s July deliveries suffered the sharpest sequential drop since before the 737 Max was cleared to return to service in December 2020, following a safety grounding. Deliveries have nonetheless fluctuated significantly this year and June had seen a sharp swing towards the upside. CFO Brian West anticipated a “light” July when he outlined three worries for the 737 during earnings last week: supply chains, delays in getting planes out of storage and an effective freeze on deliveries to China. He told analysts that Boeing would not fully make up for lower-than-expected first-half deliveries in the second half and added: “We’ll continue to experience monthly variability.”<br/>