(Reuters) – Boeing (BA) said on Tuesday it delivered 40 commercial jets in August, five more than the same month in 2023 when it struggled with a production glitch on its 737 MAX, as the U.S. planemaker aims to boost production under new CEO Kelly Ortberg.
Boeing has pledged to ramp up production of its best-selling jet, the MAX, to 38 units a month by the end of the year.
But the planemaker is facing obstacles, including a possible strike as early as Friday by more than 32,000 factory workers in Seattle and Portland, who are scheduled to vote on a new deal on September 12.
The U.S. planemaker has been operating a slower assembly line since a seal in the door of a 737 MAX 9 jet failed on Jan. 5, triggering stricter regulations.
Boeing delivered 32 MAX jets to customers last month, including nine deliveries to customers in China, the most since December 2019.
Boeing delivered 43 commercial jetliners in July, including 31 MAX aircraft.
Investors are closely watching delivery figures, as aircraft manufacturers receive the bulk of the payment for an aircraft when it is handed over to a customer.
After adjustments to reflect order backlog, Boeing reported adjusted net orders for the month of 24.
That brought Boeing's gross order total so far this year through Aug. 31 to 250. After removing cancellations and conversions, Boeing has booked a net total of 207 orders since the start of 2024.
After further accounting adjustments, Boeing reported an adjusted net order count of 122 aircraft so far this year.
Through August 31, Boeing has delivered 258 aircraft, including 198 MAX jets.
European rival Airbus said last week it had delivered 47 planes in August, down from 77 in July. This year's total stands at 447.
(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
