This is a program that costs more than expected. Boeing announced on Wednesday a charge of nearly $5 billion (€4.29 billion) related to delays in its 777X aircraft program. In the third quarter of 2024, Boeing posted a net loss of 6.17 billion. Its turnover increased 30% compared to the same period this year, up to $23.27 billion.
Despite the progress made with the 737 Max, the aircraft manufacturer continues to encounter difficulties in its 777X program. It said the first delivery of the 777X was delayed until early 2027, further pushing back the schedule from the planned launch in 2026. The aircraft was originally scheduled for delivery in 2020 when the program launched in 2013.
Last month, President and CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company was behind on certifying the plane and said there was still “a mountain of work” to do. However, it clarified that no new technical problems had been identified and did not indicate any additional delay in the first delivery.
Deliveries are recovering
After years of quality issues and delays in production of its flagship 737 Max aircraft, Boeing has cautiously increased monthly production in 2025. Earlier this month, the company received long-awaited approval from the United States Civil Aviation Authority (FAA) to increase production of the 737 Max to 42 aircraft per month, easing the 38-plane limit in place since January 2024. The limit was imposed following the explosion of a door panel in mid-flight in an almost new plane. plane.
Boeing delivered 55 planes in September, its best performance for that month since 2018. It was also a significant jump from the 33 deliveries recorded a year earlier, when a strike involving 33,000 factory workers in the Pacific Northwest disrupted production. Through the first nine months of this year, Boeing delivered 440 planes, up from 291 during the same period in 2024. Wall Street closely follows deliveries because plane makers typically receive most of their payments when they deliver planes to their customers, making deliveries a key indicator of revenue and cash flow.
Boeing has been facing a strike by some 3,200 military division employees since August 4, almost three months. These are three production centers, in St. Louis and St. Charles in Missouri and Mascoutah in Illinois, where the F-15 and F/A-18 fighter jets, the T-7 Red Hawk training aircraft and the MQ-25 drone are produced. Last Sunday, the machinists’ union rejected, for the fourth time, the aircraft manufacturer’s proposal to end the conflict, considering that the measures were not sufficient.
Source: BFM TV
