Boeing removed 141 orders from its backlog, most of them destined for Russian airlines, and Airbus takes the lead. In total, the Chicago-based manufacturer delivered 41 units in the third month of the year.
As reported by Dominic Gates of the Seattle Times, the manufacturer’s order and delivery data for the current year show a steady stream of new orders. In March, for example, 35 new units of the 737 MAX family were added to Boeing’s backlog. Deliveries, meanwhile, reached 34 aircraft.
Boeing’s big problem remains with wide-body aircraft: it delivered only three freighters (two 767-300Fs to Fedex and one 777F to China Airlines) and one KC-46 for the U.S. Air Force.
| Cliente | País | Modelo | Cantidad |
|---|---|---|---|
| 777 Partners | USA | 737 MAX | 1 |
| Aeromexico | Mexico | 737 MAX | 6 |
| Air Canada | Canada | 737 MAX | 2 |
| Air Lease Corporation | USA | 737 MAX | 2 |
| Alaska Airlines | USA | 737 MAX | 4 |
| Bain Capital Griffin Internati | Cayman Islands | 737 MAX | 1 |
| BDS U.S. Navy (P-8A Poseidon) | USA | 737-800A | 1 |
| BDS USAF Tanker Program | USA | 767-2C | 1 |
| BOC Aviation Limited | Singapore | 737 MAX | 1 |
| China Airlines | Taiwan | 777F | 1 |
| Dubai Aerospace Enterprise | United Arab Emirates | 737 MAX | 1 |
| FedEx Express | USA | 767-300F | 2 |
| flydubai | United Arab Emirates | 737 MAX | 1 |
| GOL Linhas Aereas | Brazil | 737 MAX | 3 |
| Government of Korea | South Korea | 737-800A | 1 |
| Korean Air | South Korea | 737 MAX | 1 |
| Ryanair | Ireland | 737 MAX | 7 |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore | 737 MAX | 1 |
| Cliente no identificado | 737 MAX | 3 | |
| Cliente no identificado | BBJ | 1 |
Moreover, data published by Airbus show that, so far this year, the European manufacturer has delivered almost 50% more aircraft than its North American rival: 142 compared to Boeing’s 95.
Most orders were for Russia
Although Boeing did not specify which orders were canceled, the company revealed that most of them were due to international sanctions, such as those imposed on Russia, or geopolitical issues. The accounting rules to which the U.S. manufacturer is subject require it to eliminate from its order book those orders that become «doubtful». This means that the manufacturer must eliminate orders that may not be delivered for reasons beyond its control.
The aircraft removed from the backlog during March were: 130 737 MAX family aircraft, eight 777Fs, and three 787 Dreamliners. These include 28 MAXs ordered by Russian carrier Utair and six 777Fs ordered by Russian carrier Volga-Dnepr.
Airbus, for its part, is not obliged to remove potentially cancelable orders from its books. As a result, it keeps thirteen A350 orders from Aeroflot and fourteen A220s ordered by Ilyushin Finance in its backlog.
Fierce competition
Leaving aside the Russian soap opera, Boeing added 42 new orders in March. These consisted of 36 for the MAX and six for the 777F placed by DHL. Boeing canceled four orders in March: one MAX and three 787-9 Dreamliners. Its net order book thus reached 38 units.
Airbus, meanwhile, received 104 orders, all of them for A320neo family units. However, as it canceled 76, its net tally for March was 28 aircraft. All but three of the Airbus cancellations were from AirAsia X, mired in the chaos of financial problems. The Malaysian airline finally canceled 63 A330neos and 10 A320neos after months of suspense.
Airbus takes the lead in deliveries
Lastly, looking at deliveries, Airbus (which last year was its third consecutive year at the top of the ranking in terms of the number of aircraft delivered) is still far ahead of Boeing.
This is mainly because the U.S. manufacturer has only been able to deliver fourteen of its 787s since October 2020. The last unit of the model left the factory last May, which means that it has been idle for almost a year now.
| CLIENTE | A220-100 | A220-300 | A319neo | A320neo | A321neo | A330-200 | A330-900 | A350-900 | A350-1000 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WIZZ AIR | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| CDB LEASING (UZBEKISTAN AIRWAYS) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| SPRING AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| DELTA AIR LINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| SAUDIA (FLYADEAL) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AEGEAN AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| SPIRIT AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| BRITISH AIRWAYS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| NAS AVIATION SERVICES (AVIANCA) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| QINGDAO AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| CDB LEASING | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| DELTA AIR LINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| FRONTIER AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| PEACH | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AIR CHINA | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AIR FRANCE | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| WIZZ AIR | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| SAS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| SWISS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| VOLARIS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| WIZZ AIR (WIZZ AIR UK) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AIR FRANCE | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AMERICAN AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| BOC AVIATION (TAP AIR PORTUGAL) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| IBERIA | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| FLYNAS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| INDIGO | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| SMBC AVIATION CAPITAL (SCOOT) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| DELTA AIR LINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| LUFTHANSA | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| AIR LEASE CORPORATION (VISTARA) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AMERICAN AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AVIATION CAPITAL GROUP (COLORFUL GUIZHOU AIRLINES) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AVIATION CAPITAL GROUP (STARLUX AIRLINES) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| CALC (SICHUAN AIRLINES) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| CDB LEASING (UZBEKISTAN AIRWAYS) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| NAS AVIATION SERVICES (STARLUX AIRLINES) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| BRITISH AIRWAYS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| CHINA EXPRESS AIRLINES (HUAXIA AIRLINES) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| PEGASUS AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| IBERIA | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| WIZZ AIR (WIZZ AIR UK) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE, S.A.U (DGA) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| BREEZE AIRWAYS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| NAS AVIATION SERVICES (AIR CHINA) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AMERICAN AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| DELTA AIR LINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| IBERIA | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| TURKISH AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| VOLARIS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AIR CANADA | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AIR CHINA | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AMERICAN AIRLINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| AVOLON | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| BOC AVIATION (SCOOT) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| CALC (CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| CEBU PACIFIC | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| DELTA AIR LINES | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| ICBC (TIGERAIR TAIWAN) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| INDIGO | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| LUFTHANSA (EUROWINGS) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| SAS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 63 |
On the other hand, Airbus delivered 63 aircraft in March: 54 narrow-body and nine wide-body aircraft (three A330neos and six A350s).
