Boeing ended 2021 with 340 commercial jets delivered, up 117% from 2020, when it shipped just 157 aircraft to its customers.
With no flight restrictions in most countries, the 737 MAX once again had a significant volume of deliveries, of 245 aircraft, just 11 fewer than in 2018. In the sum of 2019 and 2020, the company had delivered 84 aircraft on account of flight ban after two fatal accidents.
Boeing’s figures could be better if the company didn’t have another issue focus, the 787 Dreamliner. The widebody was one of its most delivered planes until 2019 when quality issues on the assembly line made the FAA require changes that compromised its production.
While three years ago the planemaker delivered 158 Dreamliners, last year only 14 jets were shipped to customers, a situation Boeing hopes to resolve in 2022.
Despite the difficulties, Boeing delivered 77 widebodies in 2021, just one fewer than Airbus. However, 41 of them (53%) were freighters, a segment where the company has a greater presence than its rival.
Boeing will still need to significantly increase its deliveries until it returns to the levels of 2018 and 2017, when it delivered 806 and 763 commercial aircraft.
