Boeing beats Airbus sales for first time in two years

The same trend helped Airbus maintain a winning streak in deliveries that goes back to mid-2018, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

Bolstered by handovers to airlines such as Wizz Air and India’s IndiGo, Airbus delivered 125 planes in the first quarter, compared with 77 for Boeing.

Late last month, Boeing handed over its first two 787 Dreamliners since October. Deliveries had been halted as the company inspected the model’s carbon-fibre structures for tiny manufacturing defects. Boeing booked 196 gross orders in March, all for the 737 family.

The planemaker also recorded 156 cancellations, as carriers such as United Airlines switched orders to the Max and renegotiated terms. 

Customers gain leverage to cancel or change deal terms for planes that have been delayed more than 12 months. That has added to the churn in Boeing’s order books and manufacturing schedule.

The company is offering discounts on new orders to compensate airlines for the Max’s 20-month grounding, which was imposed by US regulators in March 2019 after the crashes killed 346 people.