Boeing delivered 99 jetliners, 84 of which were 737 Maxs in the fourth quarter of 2021. [Courtesy: Boeing]
After a challenging year in 2021—in which its rival delivered nearly twice as many commercial airframes—Boeing (NYSE:BA) released its fourth-quarter deliveries report Tuesday. Highlights from the report include:
- Boeing delivered 84 of its 737s in the fourth quarter, more than 31 percent of those sold in 2021.
- Across its entire commercial fleet, which includes the 737, 747, 767, 777, and 787, a total of 99 single-aisle and widebody deliveries comprised nearly a third of the commercial deliveries for all of 2021.
- Across the military and defense operations segment, 14 re-manufactured AH-64 Apache helicopters were delivered. The newer version of that helicopter also demonstrated strong demand, with nearly a third of all 2021 deliveries happening in the fourth quarter.
- Six KC-46 tankers were delivered in the fourth quarter, nearly half of the 13 given to customers in all of 2021.
For the year, Boeing delivered 340 transport category airplanes, up from 157 in 2020. The company will release its fourth quarter and full-year financial results on January 26.
The public markets reacted positively to Boeing’s update, bumping the share price as much as 3 percent to $215 as of 2:34 p.m. Boeing is coming off successive years of challenges following the 737 Max controversy and disruptions from the pandemic.
Boeing’s update comes on the heels of an announcement Monday by Airbus (EURONEXT FR:AIR.FP) that it reached its 2021 target of delivering more than 600 transport category aircraft—nearly twice that of Boeing’s. For context, Airbus’ A320 equipment—a competitor for Boeing’s 737—by itself outsold Boeing’s entire 2021 sheet with 483 deliveries.
Airbus is scheduled to report its fourth quarter and full-year financial results on February 17.
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