Boeing backlog climbs to 6,371 aircraft as orders recover

Boeing's order backlog stood at 6,371 aircraft at the end of September, the manufacturer said on 14 October. That is up by some 2,300 orders since the lows of 2020. The figures cover 4,537 737s, 74 767s, 632 777s and 1,128 787s.

Most of the recent increase comes from demand for the 737 Max and the 787. The 777-9 and the 777-8 Freighter contributed less, and neither has been certificated. The orderbook has risen steadily over the past two years.

Airbus's backlog has grown too. The European manufacturer held 9,310 orders at the end of September, about 2,100 more than at the end of 2020.

Boeing's recovery has been slower. Its backlog stood at 5,715 aircraft at the end of 2016, then fell sharply from 2018, the year of the first of two 737 Max crashes. It ended 2020 with orders for 4,055 jets.

The US manufacturer had expected the 737 Max grounding to end quickly, but secured the Federal Aviation Administration's clearance only in November 2020, when the agency lifted a flight ban that had lasted 20 months. By then the pandemic had depressed air travel demand and, with it, demand for aircraft.

Quality problems also weighed on the 737 and 787 programmes. In one case, workers did not bolt down a 737 Max 9 door plug during manufacturing, and the part separated in flight on an Alaska Airlines aircraft.