Boeing still aims by year-end to boost production to 38 737s and five 787s monthly, returning to output levels at which the company had said it was operating prior to this year’s production slowdown.
The aircraft manufacturer affirmed its production goals on 31 July when disclosing its second-quarter financial results.
Boeing lost $1.4 billion in the period, significantly more than its $149 million loss in the second quarter of 2023, with revenue coming in at $16.9 billion, down 15% year on year.
The company’s struggling Boeing Commercial Airplanes division lost $715 million in the second quarter, compared to a $383 million loss in the same period last year. That business’s second-quarter revenue sunk 32% year on year to $6 billion.
The revenue decline mirrors Boeing’s aircraft delivery rate. The company handed over 92 aircraft in the second quarter, 32% fewer than the 136 jets it delivered in the same period of 2023.
“The 737 programme gradually increased production during the quarter and still plans to increase production to 38 per month by year end. The 787 programme maintains plans to return to five per month by year end,” Boeing says.
“We are making substantial progress strengthening our quality management system and positioning our company for the future,” adds Boeing chief executive David Calhoun. “We are executing on our comprehensive safety and quality plan and have reached an agreement to acquire Spirit AeroSystems.”
Boeing said on 31 July that former Collins Aerospace CEO Kelly Ortberg will succeed Calhoun as Boeing CEO on 8 August.
The company had said in January it was producing 38 737s and five 787s monthly. Weeks later, however, executives changed course to specify that Boeing’s 737 suppliers were working at the 38-per-month rate but that Boeing itself was not completing jets at that fast a clip.
Boeing then significantly slowed production amid intense scrutiny of both its 737 Max and 787 production systems. The scrutiny followed the 5 January in-flight failure of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9’s mid-cabin door plug. Boeing has said the plug failed because workers in Renton failed to bolt it down prior to delivering the jet.
Also earlier this year, a Boeing employee testified before Congress that some 787s fuselages may be subject to early fatigue failure due to production non-conformances.
Boeing executives have repeatedly insisted that a wealth of data indicates that 787 fuselages are safe.
