Boeing delivered 475 commercial aircraft in the first nine months of 2026, an 8% increase from the same period last year, as rising 737 MAX handovers lifted its annual total. September deliveries reached 57 aircraft, up from 51 in August and 55 a year earlier, putting Boeing within reach of exceeding its 2025 delivery figure of 600 aircraft.
The 737 programme accounted for 367 deliveries through September, including a record 363 737 MAX aircraft for the first nine months of a year. September handovers comprised 43 737 MAXs, eight 787s, two 777 freighters and four 767s, three of them destined for Boeing’s defence business for completion as KC-46 tankers.
Boeing is working to stabilise 737 MAX production at 47 aircraft per month, a rate that chief executive Kelly Ortberg indicated has taken longer than expected to achieve consistently. The manufacturer needs to deliver 126 aircraft in the fourth quarter to surpass its 2025 total.
September orders rose to 165 gross aircraft, led by Turkish Airlines’ purchase of 100 737 MAX jets. Lufthansa ordered 20 737 MAXs, Biman Bangladesh Airlines ordered six 737 MAXs and five 787s, and Ethiopian Airlines ordered eight 777-8 freighters and two 777 freighters. Boeing’s backlog stood at 6,371 aircraft at the end of September, compared with Airbus’s 547 deliveries through the same period.