MAX - Boeing merker det - Curt Lewis

Boeing reports no new orders of 737 Max as worldwide grounding enters sixth month

• Boeing 737 Max planes have been grounded worldwide since mid-March after two fatal crashes.
• Orders for the planes ground to a halt since the planes were taken out of service by global regulators.
• Aviation regulators have not indicated when they will again allow the planes to fly.

Boeing 737 MAX airplanes sit parked at a Boeing facility adjacent to King County International Airport, known as Boeing Field, on May 31, 2019 in Seattle, Washington.

Boeing, yet again, received no new orders for its troubled 737 Max jets last month as the worldwide grounding of its best-selling plane enters its sixth month.

The dearth of Max orders in July marked the fourth straight month without any new orders for the planes, Boeing said Tuesday.

The slowdown could give European manufacturer Airbus, which reported 389 commercial plane deliveries in the first six months of the year, the crown as the world's biggest airplane maker. Airbus' A320 planes compete with Boeing's 737s in the single-aisle segment, which comprise most aircraft orders.

Boeing reports fifth straight month of no new 737 Max orders in July
The Boeing 737 Max planes have been grounded since mid-March following two fatal crashes that killed a total of 346 people. Investigators found similarities between the two crashes and implicated an anti-stall system in both deadly incidents. Boeing has prepared software fixes for the planes, but regulators have not yet said when the planes will be permitted to fly again. Both airlines and Boeing have been force to park the grounded jets, canceling thousands of flights in the process.

Boeing cut production of the 737 Max by about a fifth to 42 jetliners a month in April. The company had originally planned to ramp up production to 57 a month. The Chicago-based jet maker has a backlog of about 4,600 737 planes.

Southwest Airlines said last month that it will pull out of Newark Airport, where it offers up to 37 flights per day, so that it can reallocate its lower-than-expected capacity toward more lucrative markets, especially Hawaii.

The airline flew 34 Maxs before the grounding, and was scheduled to take delivery of an additional 41 of the planes this year. As a result of the grounding, the carrier expects its seating capacity to drop by 11% during the holiday travel season.

In Europe, Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair, says it now plans to fly just 30 Max aircraft next summer, rather than the 58 expected. CEO Michael O'Leary now says the airline is drafting plans to close some markets starting this winter.

In June, Boeing won a vote of confidence in the troubled 737 Max when British Airways' parent International Consolidated Airlines Group, said it plans to buy 200 of the jets. Boeing didn't include the orders in its monthly tally because the order isn't finalized.
Boeing's Plane Deliveries Tumble as 737 MAX Jet Stays Grounded

U.S. plane maker at risk of falling behind Airbus as the world's biggest aircraft manufacturer this year

Boeing recorded a fifth straight month without any orders for the 737 MAX aircraft. PHOTO: GARY HE/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Boeing Co. BA -0.02% delivered fewer planes in July than in any month for the past decade, furthering the financial blow to the aerospace giant brought by the grounding of its 737 MAX jetliner.

Boeing's deliveries for the year through July totaled 258 planes, down from 417 planes in the same period a year earlier and the smallest number for that time frame since 2007. The 19 planes the Chicago-based company delivered in July was the lowest monthly count since the four deliveries it made in November 2008 during the financial crisis.

Airbus SE EADSY 1.38% shipped 458 planes in the first seven months of this year, putting the European company on track to surpass U.S. rival Boeing as the world's biggest aircraft manufacturer on the year.

Boeing's shares were flat on Tuesday, and shares in Airbus closed up 1.4%.

July was the fifth straight month without any new orders for the 737 MAX, Boeing said Tuesday. The plane has been grounded by regulators around the globe since March following two fatal crashes in less than six months.

The crashes of MAX jets operated by Ethiopian Airlines and Indonesia's Lion Air killed all 346 people on board the two flights. More than 100 lawsuits have been filed against Boeing, and the aerospace giant has been negotiating settlements with victims' families. Meanwhile, it has pledged $100 million in financial support for families and communities impacted by the crashes.

Boeing has said it hopes the 737 MAX will resume flights in the fourth quarter, but some airlines and regulators have said it will take longer for the plane to be cleared pending fixes to its software.

The prolonged grounding is weighing on airlines and Boeing suppliers. Some plane parts makers have cut production, while some carriers have had to cut back on service.

Boeing, whose shares are down nearly 25% from a recent high in March, said it will set aside about $5 billion to compensate airline customers hampered by the MAX's absence.

More than 150 undelivered MAX jets are parked at sites around the U.S., along with the 380 in airlines' hands that were grounded by regulators in March.

Last month Boeing lost an order for 50 MAX planes from a Saudi Arabian budget carrier. Flyadeal said it would instead buy up to 50 A320neo planes from Airbus.

The MAX delivery delays have disrupted flight schedules for airlines, especially in fast-growing aviation markets like Southeast Asia. With their capacity stretched, airlines have delayed plane retirements and cut some routes.

Southwest Airlines Co. sped up its decision to stop flying at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport because of the grounding of its MAX fleet. American Airlines Group said last month that the Boeing grounding would likely shave $400 million off its earnings in 2019.

Boeing said deliveries through July for the 777 and 787 Dreamliner, were 24 and 90, respectively.