Boeing continues production ramp-up, with 42 Max deliveries in Jun
Published in Business News
Boeing continued on its path to recovery in June, recording its highest number of 737 Max deliveries since the end of 2023 and its best delivery rate for the first half of the year since 2018.
In a monthly recap of airplane orders and deliveries, Boeing said Tuesday it delivered 60 airplanes last month and 150 planes in the second quarter of the year, which includes April, May and June.
In the first six months of 2025, Boeing delivered 280 planes, the company continued, marking its best second quarter and best first half of the year since 2018.
That year proved to be a pivotal moment for Boeing after a 737 Max plane crashed in Indonesia in October 2018, killing 189 people. Months later, in March 2019, another 737 Max crashed in Ethiopia, killing 157 people and grounding the plane as Boeing worked to fix a software error that brought both planes down.
Then, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted air travel and the aerospace supply chain, further hampering production rates as Boeing worked to recover from the deadly Max crashes.
In January 2024, Boeing faced another setback when a panel flew off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max midflight, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to cap Boeing’s Max production rate as it worked to improve its processes and safety culture.
Boeing executives have repeatedly said they are seeing improvement and the company has ramped up production in the first half of 2025. In May, Boeing reached the FAA’s production threshold and “rolled out” 38 737 Max planes, meaning 38 planes moved through the production line and out of the factory but not necessarily to customers.
In June, Boeing delivered 42 Max planes, but it did not specify how many of those planes moved through the factory that month versus how many had already been ready for delivery.
The company would need to ask the FAA for permission to begin increasing Max production above the 38 threshold, something that CEO Kelly Ortberg has said he hopes will happen this year.
In the meantime, analysts are optimistic about Boeing’s incremental production increases, with many saying the company is on the right track. Credit rating agency Fitch Ratings last month upgraded Boeing’s status, from negative to stable, citing production improvements and, as a result, more financial flexibility.
Aside from its popular 737 Max, Boeing delivered nine 787 widebody planes in June, four 777 freighters and five 767s. Of those 767 planes, three went to Boeing’s defense division for the KC-46 tanker program.
Eight of the 60 airplanes delivered last month went to customers in China. That’s a noteworthy development after Boeing got caught in the geopolitical trade war between the U.S. and China earlier this year. China temporarily stopped accepting airplane deliveries to avoid paying hefty tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Through the end of June, Boeing delivered 280 planes, including 209 from the Max family, 37 787s, 20 777s and 14 767s.
When it comes to orders, Boeing booked 116 gross orders in June, including 54 for the 737 Max and 62 for the 787 Dreamliner.
That’s a dip from last month, where Boeing reported a staggering 303 gross orders, including a deal with Qatar Airways for 120 787s and 30 777Xs announced during President Trump’s visit to the Middle East.
Of the Max orders placed in June, 12 were for Alaska Airlines while the remaining 42 were listed as unidentified. Singapore Airlines also canceled an order for three 737 Max planes.
With cancellations and adjustments for strict accounting principles, Boeing recorded 70 net orders in June.
The company’s European rival, Airbus, has not yet reported its June orders and deliveries tally. But, the European manufacturer announced 250 orders last month at the Paris Air Show, a trade event where aerospace companies gather to showcase the future of the industry.
Boeing, meanwhile, did not make any announcements at the air show. The company canceled most of its public appearances after the fatal crash of an Air India Boeing 787 days before the show was set to begin.
Investigators are still determining the cause of the crash.
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