Last month, Boeing delivered 60 planes, its highest monthly number since December 2023—the month before a door plug on a 737 Max 9 blew out during a flight, prompting a wave of safety concerns and production slowdowns. The June figure includes 42 of its 737 Max jets, which went to major clients such as Southwest, Alaska, and United Airlines, NBC News reports. And eight of the planes went to Chinese customers, the first deliveries to China since Boeing paused deliveries there in April amid the US-China tariffs dispute, Reuters reports.
The company's latest quarterly numbers show it delivered 150 planes in the second quarter, making it Boeing's strongest Q2 since 2018. That year marked the last time Boeing posted a full-year profit and came before the Max line's two high-profile crashes and subsequent grounding. Since then, Boeing has struggled to regain its footing, with rival Airbus pulling further ahead. Airbus delivered 63 aircraft in June.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who took over last August, says Boeing is making headway in both output and quality. The company has been producing about 38 Max jets a month and will need FAA approval to push beyond that figure—a cap set following the January 2024 incident. Ortberg recently said he's optimistic Boeing can raise the monthly Max rate to 42. Boeing booked 116 new orders in June, or 70 after adjusting for cancellations and accounting tweaks. Its order backlog stands at 5,953 aircraft.