Boeing has announced its third-quarter 2021 deliveries. The American aircraft manufacturer delivered 85 commercial jets in the quarter, with a heavy emphasis on the Boeing 737 MAX program, which made up over three-quarters of the company's deliveries in the quarter. To date, Boeing has delivered over 240 aircraft this year as the commercial recovery continues.

Boeing's third-quarter deliveries

Stretching from July 1st through September 30th, Boeing recorded 85 aircraft deliveries. This was broken down into the following:

  • 66 Boeing 737s
  • Two Boeing 747s
  • 11 Boeing 767s
  • Six Boeing 777s

There were no Boeing 787 deliveries in the quarter. In all of 2021, the manufacturer has delivered the following aircraft:

  • 179 Boeing 737s
  • Four Boeing 747s
  • 24 Boeing 767s
  • 20 Boeing 777s
  • 14 Boeing 787s
Photo: Getty Images

The bulk of the aircraft deliveries in the third quarter were for Boeing 737 MAX jets. However, the manufacturer also recorded some military 737s produced under the commercial aircraft program that were delivered. Sixty-two deliveries in the quarter were for Boeing 737 MAX jets.

UPS took the only two Boeing 747s, which were 747-8Fs, delivered in the quarter. The 767 deliveries included military tankers and cargo jets for FedEx. Meanwhile, Aeroflot took two Boeing 777-300ERs, while the rest of the 777 deliveries were cargo jets to DHL, FedEx, and Lufthansa.

No Dreamliner deliveries

The Boeing 787 is one of Boeing's most successful programs, and airlines have been using the aircraft on various missions since it was first delivered over ten years ago. As the recovery continues, airlines are eager to get the Dreamliners delivered for fleet renewal and expansion. However, the delivery of 787s remains paused as the manufacturer works with the regulators on inspections of the 787 productions system.

Boeing released the following statement on the 787s:

"We are also continuing to complete comprehensive inspections across the 787 production system and within the supply chain, while holding detailed, transparent discussions with the FAA, suppliers and our customers. Production resources remain focused on inspections and rework and the 787 production rate remains lower than five airplanes per month.

"We will continue to take the time needed to ensure the highest levels of quality. While these efforts continue to impact deliveries, we're confident this is the right approach to drive stability and first-time quality across our operations and to position the program for the long term as market demand recovers."

With deliveries of the 787 still on hold, some airlines have had to adjust and reduce their flight schedules due to a lack of anticipated capacity. Photo: Getty Images

Dreamliner deliveries are expected to resume shortly after the company and regulators, namely the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), reach a consensus on appropriate inspections and reworks to ensure the safety of the Dreamliner program. Neither Boeing nor FAA has indicated that the rework and inspections that have paused deliveries temporarily are broader problems across the 787 fleet currently flying. The Dreamliners rank among the safest planes in the sky today.

The recovery continues

A year ago, in the third quarter of 2020, Boeing delivered a paltry 28 aircraft as the crisis battered airline financials, and new planes became headaches on carriers. Most airlines and Boeing agreed to deferrals of aircraft deliveries. However, some airlines did continue to take delivery.

Boeing has tripled deliveries in the quarter year-over-year amid a strong recovery in North America and Europe. United, for example, took nine Boeing 737 MAX jets in the quarter, while Ryanair took a whopping 17. Several other deliveries went to airlines through lessors. For instance, Air Lease Corporation took nine 737 MAX jets in the quarter, which went out to different airlines, including Alaska Airlines.

737 MAX China
China is an incredibly important market for the Boeing narrowbody. Photo: Getty Images

There is still a lot of room for growth. For example, in the third quarter of 2018, before the 737 MAX grounding that decimated deliveries, Boeing recorded 190 planes handed over to customers with 568 year-to-date deliveries for the year up to September 30th, 2018.

As far as the aircraft delivery recovery goes, it is about half of what Boeing was delivering before various crises hit. Once the recovery progresses through various geographies, namely Asia and Latin America, expect Boeing to start to ramp up deliveries as customers eagerly eye more aircraft.