Boeing’s 737 deliveries dip in October on new fuselage flaw

Boeing Co. only delivered 27 of its cash-cow 737 jetliners last month as its quality inspectors found and fixed a flaw in some of the narrowbody jet’s frames, Stan Deal, the planemaker’s commercial chief, told investors.

That’s a dip from the 37 narrowbodies that Boeing handed over in September. While the planemaker isn’t expected to reveal its full monthly deliveries and sales until next week, executives provided a glimpse of the shortages of engines and an influx of new hires that have dragged on its factory output.

The manufacturer has lowered its 737 delivery targets twice for 2022, from the nearly 500 jets it expected early this year to an updated forecast last month of about 375.

Boeing expects to deliver between 400 and 450 of the workhorse narrowbody aircraft next year, along with 70 to 80 of its 787 Dreamliners. And it plans to step up its factory tempo so that it’s producing 50 of the 737 jets each month by mid-decade, executives said. That lags the 75-jet monthly pace planned by rival Airbus SE.

The US planemaker still faces tight scrutiny from federal regulators, who sign off on every 737 Max and Dreamliner delivery. Dave Calhoun, Boeing’s chief executive officer, pledged Wednesday to boost quality so that jets meet 100% of their engineering specifications when they’re handed over to customers.

—Bloomberg