After resolving a wiring problem that had held up aircraft handovers earlier this year, Boeing $BA handed over 60 commercial jets in May — a 33% improvement compared with the same month in 2025, according to CNBC.
The 60 handovers trailed Airbus's 81 for the month but included a post-strike high of 51 737 Max jets
Kevin Carter / Getty Images
After resolving a wiring problem that had held up aircraft handovers earlier this year, Boeing $BA handed over 60 commercial jets in May — a 33% improvement compared with the same month in 2025, according to CNBC.
Among the deliveries, 51 were 737 Max jets — a post-strike high for that narrowbody program since output resumed in December 2024. Rounding out the month's widebody figures were six 787 Dreamliners — a program still held back by unresolved certification issues around premium seating — along with one 777 freighter and one 767 freighter.
Boeing's total trailed that of European rival Airbus, which reported 81 deliveries in May. Through the end of May, Boeing has delivered 250 aircraft, including 198 737 Max jets.
A wiring defect discovered in March required fixes on up to 25 737 Max jets awaiting delivery, temporarily setting back the handover pace, according to Bloomberg. Deliveries are closely watched by investors because each completed handover generates cash that Boeing needs as it tries to shore up a balance sheet weakened by years of safety and manufacturing missteps, Bloomberg noted.
On the orders side, 27 gross new commitments came in during May. Lufthansa accounted for 10 of those with a 787 purchase, while a separate, unnamed buyer signed for 14 737s earmarked for military conversion. Sixteen cancellations trimmed the net gain to 11 planes for the month, with the total unfilled order book reaching 6,178 aircraft as May closed.
Boeing has been raising the 737 Max production rate from 42 to 47 jets per month, with plans to open a fourth final assembly line in Everett, Washington state, on July 6. CEO Kelly Ortberg has said the company is "highly confident" about hitting the 47-per-month target, which follows the lifting of an FAA production cap last October. That cap was imposed after a door plug blew out on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max in January 2024, exposing manufacturing quality problems.
Boeing reported a net loss of just $7 million in the first quarter of 2026, with commercial deliveries up 10% to 143 planes, as the company works to stabilize operations and rebuild its balance sheet.
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