Bumper Boeing year sets new delivery record

Boeing set a new annual record for aircraft deliveries in 2018 to deliver 806  jetliners to edge our rival Airbus for the top spot. Airbus confirmed it delivered 800 commercial aircraft during the year and said it would release final audited figures after the close of market Wednesday. Boeing’s bumper year saw it surpass its previous record of 763 deliveries in 2017 and was boosted by a last-minute surge in Boeing 737 deliveries as it handed over 69 planes in December. It also received 893 net aircraft orders for the year, listing at $US143.7 billion, included 203 sales in the final month. The US manufacturer raised the production rate of its 737 workhorse to 52 a month in mid-2018 and said almost half of its 580 737 deliveries in 2018 were for the more fuel-efficient MAX family. Production lines for the widebody 787 were also humming with the delivery of 145 aircraft during the year.  Various 777, 767 and 747-8 deliveries made up the rest of the total. The US manufacturer said the 787 extended its status as the fastest-selling twin-aisle jet in history with 109 orders last year to bring the total since the program launched to about 1400. The orders included a decision by Hawaiian Airlines to switch from A330s to 787s and adding Turkish Airlines as a customer. The 777 family continued its steady sales momentum with 51 net orders in 2018, driven by sales of the 777 Freighter to DHL Express, FedEx Express, ANA Cargo, Qatar Airways and other major freight operators. Additional sales in December saw the 777 program exceed 2,000 orders since its launch. READ Boeing's 777 is the first widebody to sell over 2000.  The 737 MAX family also achieved a major sales milestone in December, surpassing 5,000 net orders with 181 new sales during December. For the full year, the 737 program achieved 675 net orders, including sales to 13 new customers. "Boeing raised the bar again in 2018 thanks to our teammates' incredible focus on meeting customer commitments, and continuously improving quality and productivity," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president  Kevin McAllister. "In a dynamic year, our production discipline and our supplier partners helped us build and deliver more airplanes than ever before to satisfy the strong demand for air travel across the globe."