Boeing said it sold just 14 new jets in the past month, with most of those coming as freighter sales. And one of those was to replace the plane that saw a door plug blow out mid-flight just over six months ago.
It sold just three 737 Max jets, two to an unidentified customer and one to Alaska Airlines to replace the plane that had a door plug blow out on a January 5 flight as it approached 16,000 feet. The other 11 jets were 777 freighters.
It marked one of its best sales months of the year, but it still ended the first half of 2024 with gross sales down 70% from a year ago. The 14 gross sales are up from the only four sold in May and seven in April. But it’s down 95% from the 304 gross orders it took in in June of 2023.
Boeing’s sales have fallen sharply in the wake of the Alaska Air incident, as even airlines eager to expand their fleets hold off on purchases while Boeing works through a myriad of problems.
It had come into the year with a record sales month in December, but sales ground to a virtual halt following the Alaska Air incident.
The one strong sales month it reported was in March, when it sold 113 planes. Most of that came from an order of 85 jets from American Airlines. But that order was for a longer version of the 737 Max, which the Federal Aviation Administration has not even certified to carry passengers as of yet. That certification, originally expected this year, has been pushed back to at least 2025 by the problems brought to light by the Alaska Air incident.
The company agreed Sunday to plead guilty to its employees defrauding the FAA during the original certification process for the 737 Max. It could face further criminal charges related to the Alaska Air incident.
The plane it sold to Alaska Air is also a 737 Max 10 to replace the plane that lost the door plug in January. Boeing agreed to repurchase that specific plane, which was able to land without serious injury for crew or passenger. Boeing declined to say its plans for the plane now that it has taken it back.
