Boeing has had its worst January in regards to aircraft sales in over 50 years. The American aircraft manufacturer clocked zero orders for new aircraft this January. According to Reuters, the last time this happened was in 1962.

Boeing, Zero Orders, January
Boeing clocked zero January orders for the first time in over half a decade. Photo: Boeing

Boeing hasn’t had the best of luck recently when it comes to orders. The manufacturer has faced delays in its 777X project in addition to the grounding of the 737 MAX. As a result, new aircraft orders at the company have, of late, been few and far between. In fact, since the 737 MAX grounding, the company has only sold a few of the aircraft at the Dubai Airshow last November.

Zero January orders

Boeing secured zero orders for aircraft last month. This has the first time that Boeing has had this poor of a January result since 1962 - 58 years ago! In terms of commercial aircraft, Boeing is running quite thin on what it can reasonably sell.

There is, of course, the Boeing 787, however, most carriers that want this have, by this point, already placed orders. That leaves the 777X, which has just taken its first flight, in addition to the 737 MAX, which is currently grounded. As a result, we have arrived at the first time that Boeing has failed to sell a single aircraft in the month of January for over half a century.

Boeing, Zero Orders, January
The last time the American manufacturer clocked zero orders in January was in 1962. Photo: Boeing

Could things get better?

While January may have been a dud for Boeing, things could potentially start to get better. The American aircraft manufacturer was reportedly in talks earlier this week with Bamboo Airways over a potential order for the 777X.

Additionally, it seems as though things will be getting better for the 737 MAX as well. Earlier today, at the Singapore Airshow, the Federal Aviation administration's Administrator, Steve Dickson, revealed that the Boeing 737 MAX is almost ready for its first test flights in order to achieve recertification.

There is clearly still interest in the aircraft, as we have seen some orders and more in the past year. At the Paris Air Show, the International Airlines Group placed a memorandum of understanding for 200 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Additionally, at the Dubai Airshow in November last year, the American aerospace manufacturer also placed some orders for the Boeing 737 MAX, including with Air Astana for its LCC subsidiary, Fly Arystan.

Boeing, Zero Orders, January
Boeing has secured at least three converted freighter orders at the Singapore Airshow. Photo: Boeing

In late January, it was revealed that Boeing had shipped just 380 aircraft in 2019, down from 806 the previous year. Simultaneously, the company announced its first loss in 23 years. Could things change in February? Well, we will have to wait and see! However, it won't be as bad as January as at least three 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters have been ordered at the Singapore Airshow.

What do you make of this latest hiccup for Boeing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.