Boeing Co. said Wednesday it delivered 61 jetliners last month, bringing its second-quarter total to 139 and beating analysts’ expectations, as the world’s largest aircraft maker speeds production of its top-selling 737s.
While the company didn’t meet its target of delivering 142 jetliners in the second quarter, it was better than the 135 planes that Ragen MacKenzie Inc. analyst Peter Jacobs said he expected. Boeing expects to deliver about 550 planes this year.
Seattle-based Boeing said it will stop its monthly production updates, which the company began in November after it fell behind schedule because of labor and parts shortages. Boeing is trying to double its manufacturing as a boom in airlines business generates record numbers of orders.
“This is the most positive communication I’ve heard from the company since this whole disaster started last fall,” said Bill Whitlow, a portfolio manager with Safeco Asset Management Co., which owned 1.81 million shares as of March.
In October, Boeing shut its 737 assembly line for 25 days and its 747 line for 20 days because of parts shortages. Meanwhile, Boeing rushed to hire and train new workers.
On top of that, the company had to rework updated 737s– by cutting new emergency exits, for example–to meet requirements by U.S. and European authorities.
