Boeing books no orders for new airliners in October

Aerospace and defence company Boeing has not been able to secure new airliner orders for the second consecutive month in October.

The company’s monthly snapshot cited by Reuters revealed that it delivered 13 airliners last month.

The data showed a reduction of 20 aircraft compared with the same period last year. It lost another 12 orders for its 737 MAX jetliner in the same month.

The lost orders include four 737 MAX jets from China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co. and one from Czech Airlines owner Smartwings. It also lost three from Oman Air and four from an undisclosed buyers.

Boeing had reported new aircraft order in August. For the year until October, 1,043 MAX aircraft have already been cancelled or removed from Boeing’s official backlog.

The news comes as the European Union decided to impose 15% tariffs on Boeing planes.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently reported that it reached final stages in reviewing proposed changes to the grounded 737 MAX.

The review is expected to be completed in the near future, Reuters reported citing the agency’s chief.

Meanwhile, the FAA is also planning to lift its grounding order on the aircraft as early as 18 November, the news agency reported citing three sources.

Boeing temporarily grounded 737 Max since March 2019 following two crashes that killed a combined 346 people. Last month, the company revealed plans to reduce staffing levels by 7,000 as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect aircraft demand.