Deliveries of Boeing's best-selling 737 Max fall to lowest level in almost a year
The aircraft manufacturer handed over about 32 jets from the 737 Max family to customers
Boeing plans to increase 737 Max production only in 2027 / Photo: X / Boeing
Deliveries of Boeing’s best-selling aircraft, the 737 Max, slowed in October to their lowest level in almost a year, Jefferies flags. That could complicate efforts to improve the company’s finances after it already had to revise its production ramp-up plans.
Details
Boeing delivered about 32 jets from the 737 Max family in October, the lowest monthly total since November 2025, Bloomberg reported, citing Cirium data and a note by Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu. That was down from 43 in September. A Boeing spokesperson declined to comment to Bloomberg on October 737 Max deliveries ahead of the official release of the figures, expected later in November.
The decline followed the management’s cut to the full-year 737 Max delivery target from the original 500 aircraft and a delay to plans to increase production rates. Last month, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told investors that process issues were hampering wing production and delaying the 737 ramp-up.
Aircraft deliveries can be disrupted for a variety of reasons, so a decline does not necessarily signal a slowdown at the company’s factories, Bloomberg writes. But the fourth quarter typically brings higher deliveries as aircraft manufacturers work to meet their annual targets and clear inventories of completed jets. Boeing’s European rival Airbus, for example, delivered about 74 aircraft in October, which leaves it facing an unprecedented delivery push to meet its full-year target, Bloomberg reports.
Earlier this year, Boeing showed signs of a production recovery: it delivered a total of 161 aircraft in the third quarter, and in October regulators approved an increase in 737 Max production to 52 aircraft per month. However, the management does not expect to reach that rate until the second half of next year, Ortberg said.
Boeing shares closed 0.5% higher on Friday but remain down 20.1% year to date. At the same time, most analysts are bullish: the stock has a combined 28 “buy” and “overweight” ratings versus four “hold” calls, according to MarketWatch data.
