A number of Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are parked at
Southern California Logistics Airport on March 27, 2019 in Victorville,
California. Airbus is on track to overtake Boeing in commercial plane
deliveries for 2019. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
NEW YORK,
Airbus
is on track to overtake Boeing in commercial plane deliveries for 2019
after outpacing its US
rival at mid-year following the 737 MAX
grounding, according to data released Tuesday.
Boeing,
which has halted deliveries of the top-selling plane since mid-March,
reported 239 commercial plane deliveries in 2019 through the year's
midpoint, down 37 percent from the year-ago period.
Airbus
reported 389 deliveries for the same period, up 28 percent from the
same period in 2018, according to data on its website.
If the numbers hold throughout the year, Airbus could replace Boeing as the world's largest aircraft maker.
Boeing's
big decline in deliveries confirms the extent to which the 737 MAX
crisis has dented its standing following two recent crashes that killed
346 people.
Boeing in June again reported no new orders for the 737 MAX.
Plane
deliveries are tied to company revenues and closely monitored by Wall
Street. Leading analysts have slashed their profit forecasts for Boeing
due to the 737 MAX crisis, which has halted deliveries and forced the
company to store planes after they are manufactured.
SETBACKS
At
the Paris Air Show in June, Boeing announced that it signed a letter of
intent to sell 200 737 MAX planes to British Airways parent
International Airlines Group. But the IAG order has not been officially
booked yet.
On Monday, Saudi budget
carrier flyadeal said it withdrew a provisional order for up to 50
Boeing's grounded 737 MAX jets and would instead buy up to 50 Airbus
planes.
Morningstar analyst Danny
Goode said he does not expect other carriers to follow flyadeal as long
as Boeing is able to ensure re-entry of the 737 MAX by the end of the
year.
"While flyadeal's withdrawal is
a bit concerning, we would seriously revisit our delivery forecast if a
flagship customer like Southwest or Ryanair flipped to Airbus' A320neo
or A220 platform," Goode said in a note.
"We remain confident in the 737 MAX's return to service."
Boeing
has developed a software upgrade to the 737 MAX after problems with a
flight handling system were tied to Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines
crashes. But the jet has still not been cleared by regulators to resume
work.
The Federal Aviation
Administration last week identified a fresh problem during simulator
testing, further clouding the outlook for the plane's return to service.
Boeing shares rose 0.6 percent to $353.23.
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