Boeing strike sinks October deliveries to 14 jets

Boeing said on Tuesday it delivered 14 commercial jets in October, less than half of the 34 jets it handed over to customers during the same month in 2023, after a weeks-long strike halted most of its aircraft production. The U.S. planemaker is requiring all of its West Coast factory workers to be back at work on Tuesday after the strike ended on November 5, but added in a statement that it will be several weeks before airplane production gets fully underway. Boeing is facing heightened oversight by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as it resumes output of its strongest-selling 737 MAX jets, along with 767, 777 and 777x models, after their production was halted during the strike which started on Sept. 12. The planemaker is trying to grow 737 production to hit a rate of 38 a month to generate needed revenues, after the strike weighed on its September and October deliveries. Boeing 787 production in South Carolina was not affected by the strike. The planemaker delivered 34 jets during October 2023, when it struggled to correct a manufacturing defect in the 737 MAX. Boeing was already operating a slower 737 MAX assembly line since a Jan. 5 in-flight blowout of a door plug on a near new model heightened regulatory scrutiny. Boeing said it will continue monitoring production to ensure safety and quality and will ensure employee training certifications are current.<br/>