Both Orders and Deliveries Disappoint as Boeing Debuts 737 MAX 9
by J. Kasper Oestergaard, European Correspondent.
On April 13, 2017, Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 narrowbody jet made its first flight. Deliveries are expected to commence in 2018. Boeing is also considering a larger 737 MAX 10 variant to take on the Airbus A321neo, which has been outselling the 737 MAX 9.
Photo: Courtesy The Boeing Co
Boeing and Airbus delivered 52 and 46 commercial jets in April 2017, respectively, compared to 54 and 52 during the same month last year. This year to date, Boeing has delivered 221 jets (vs. 230 at this point last year), while Airbus has delivered 182 (177 in 2016). In 2016, Boeing delivered 748 jets (762 in 2015), in line with company expectations, while Airbus surpassed its delivery target of 650 jets by handing over 688 jets during 2016 (635 in 2015).
In April 2017, Boeing delivered 38 737s, two 747-8s, three 777s, and nine 787s. Boeing currently plans to raise its 737 production rate from 42 per month today to 47 in Q3 2017 and 52 during 2018. Boeing’s CEO, Dennis Muilenburg, has announced that demand supports a further increase to 57 737s per month in 2019. From May to December 2017, more than 50 737 MAX jets are expected to come off the production line in Renton, Washington. Boeing is also considering a larger 737 MAX 10 variant to take on the Airbus A321neo, which has been outselling the 737 MAX 9. Airbus is ramping up deliveries of its A350 XWB and this, combined with a higher A320 production rate of 46 per month (commenced Q2 2016), means that the company is narrowing the gap in the deliveries race and will likely surpass Boeing by 2019. By mid-2019, Airbus expects to be delivering 60 A320 jets per month. In April 2017, Airbus delivered 36 A320s, six A330s, and four A350s. During 2016, Airbus was dogged by issues with the supply of A350 interiors and Pratt & Whitney PW1100G turbofan engines for the A320neo. In March 2017, Airbus’ CEO Tom Enders said that he does not expect deliveries of A320neo jets to be significantly affected by recent problems with the Pratt & Whitney engines. Airbus expects to deliver 80 A350s in 2017 (63 to go) and more than 100 A350s in 2018, when the production rate hits 10 per month.
In the orders race, both companies had a weak month. Boeing landed 15 gross orders (minus 3 cancellations => net of 12). Boeing’s April orders included 737 MAX orders from two unidentified customers for a total of 11 aircraft for unidentified customers, as well as an order for two 787-9s. Boeing has landed 210 net new orders this year to date (228 gross orders), compared to 156 net new orders during the first four months of 2016.
Airbus’ order drought continues, as the company only logged 17 net new orders (25 gross) in April. On the positive side, an unidentified customer placed a fairly large order for 10 A350-900s. The remaining orders were for 14 A320 narrowbodies – five of which were for China Aircraft Leasing Group – and one A330-200 for Iberia. Airbus has landed 23 net new orders this year to date (51 gross orders), compared to 92 net new orders during the first four months of 2016.
Airbus’ order backlog as of April 30, 2017, stands at 6,715 jets (of which 5,517, or 82%, are A320ceo/neo family narrowbodies), ahead of Boeing’s 5,704 (of which 4,478, or 79%, are 737 NG/MAX narrowbody jets). The number of Airbus aircraft to be built and delivered represents an almost 10-year backlog at the 2016 production level. In comparison, Boeing’s backlog would “only” last 7.6 years.
Following a surge in orders in December 2016, Airbus’ backlog set a new record with 6,874 jets on order; however, after a very weak start in the orders race this year, the backlog has been reduced by 159 aircraft. Airbus booked 731 orders in 2016, resulting in a book-to-bill ratio of 1.06. Despite a very strong order haul in December, Boeing’s backlog continues to hover slightly below the peak level of 5,813 jets on order at the end of January 2016. Boeing is now 109 jets off its record backlog. Boeing booked 668 net new orders in 2016, for a book-to-bill ratio of 0.89. Airbus has retained an order lead over Boeing every year since 2012.
For the full year of 2017, we can expect Airbus to easily surpass 700 deliveries and further narrow the gap in production between the two major plane makers. The author expects Airbus to deliver 710-720 jets during the year. The key for Airbus is to successfully manage the continued ramp-up in production of the A320neo and A350. In January 2017, Boeing set a target of 760-765 deliveries for 2017; however, based on previously announced production rates, that figure is conservative. But following Boeing’s announcement combined with a slow start to 2017, the author has updated and reduced the delivery target for Boeing to between 765 and 775 aircraft. For Boeing, the planned increase in production of the 737 and a smooth transition to the MAX are critical. Backlogs can be expected to decline in 2017 for both companies, and a level of 400-500 net new orders can be anticipated. In February, Airbus reported that it expects net new orders for the industry to decline by 30 percent in 2017. This is mainly due to slower GDP growth and low oil prices. According to both Airbus and Boeing, the demand for passenger aircraft is tied to growth in worldwide revenue passenger miles (RPMs), which again are highly correlated with global GDP growth. While worldwide airline profits peaked in 2016, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects profits to fall in 2017 for the first time in six years due to higher oil prices and labor costs, combined with a slowdown in demand. World airline profits are expected to fall 16 percent to $29.8 billion in 2017.
A decline in orders should not be a major source of concern for jet makers. Backlogs are at or near all-time highs and will provide stability and growth for years to come. The main focus for both companies continues to be managing cost and extensive global supply chains. According to Boeing, about 65 percent of the cost of a jet is from the supply chain. It is therefore no surprise that both Airbus and Boeing put immense pressure on their suppliers not only to deliver quality parts on time but also to cut costs.
Please feel free to use this content with Forecast International and analyst attributions, along with a link to the article. Contact Ray Peterson at +1 (203) 426-0800 or via email at ray.peterson@forecast1.com for additional analysis.
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References:
http://www.boeing.com/commercial/#/orders-deliveries
http://www.airbus.com/company/market/orders-deliveries/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-idUSKBN15T2FB
http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2017-04-13-Boeing-Completes-Successful-First-Flight-of-737-MAX-9
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