Boeing delivered 45 aircraft during May, while booking a total of 303 gross orders.
These orders include Qatar Airways’ order for 130 787s and 30 777X aircraft, with options for an additional 50 - the largest widebody order in Boeing’s history. This was made during US President Donald Trump's Middle East tour in May.
A day earlier, Saudi Arabian-owned AviLease ordered 20 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Etihad said it planned to order 28 widebody Boeing jets but did not place a firm order, so the aircraft were not included in May's total.
Canada’s WestJet also placed an order for seven 737 MAX aircraft, along with two unidentified customers – one placing an order for 119 737 MAX aircraft and another ordering seven 787-9 jets.
Three orders were cancelled, meaning Boeing booked a total of 300 net orders for the month.
Deliveries during the month stayed in line with those made in April, when the company also delivered 45 aircraft. This total for May was up from the 24 aircraft deliveries that the company made during the same month of the year prior. This is Boeing’s fifth consecutive month of handing over more than 40 aircraft.
Boeing delivered 31 737 MAX aircraft in total for the month. United Airlines received the largest share with seven aircraft, followed by Alaska Airlines with four, and lessor AerCap and Allegiant Airlines with three each.
Qatar took delivery of three 787-9 aircraft from a prior order, with American Airlines, United, El Al and Avolon all receiving one. Boeing also delivered five 777 freighters, one 767 freighter and one 737 NG to be converted into a P-8 Poseidon for the U.S. Navy.
So far this year the manufacturer has delivered a total of 220 commercial aircraft.
Boeing also reportedly rolled out 38 new 737 MAX aircraft in May, hitting a production target it has been working on for more than a year. The US Federal Aviation Administration capped 737 MAX production at 38 planes a month due to quality concerns exposed by a mid-air panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 in January 2024.
During its first quarter earnings call, Boeing said an initial 737 MAX production rate increase will take place from 38 to 42 aircraft per month. After that, the company will scale up in increments of five per month, moving from 42 to 47, and then from 47 to 52. Each of these increases would likely occur no sooner than six months apart.
European rival Airbus delivered 51 aircraft in May, down 4% on the previous month, with deliveries so far for 2025 totalling 243 aircraft. Airbus booked no new orders during May.
Boeing's order backlog totalled 5,943 aircraft, as of May 31, 2025.
