Boeing Co (BA.N) delivered a record 806 aircraft in 2018 to retain the title of the world’s biggest planemaker for the seventh straight year, but missed its full-year target of 810-815 due to supplier woes that delayed shipments, Trend reports citing Reuters.
European rival Airbus SE (AIR.PA), which will report its numbers later this week, met its own 800-jet target pending final audit, but is certain to lag behind Boeing due to engine delays, industry sources said earlier.
Shares of Boeing rose 3.2 percent to $339.
Investors and analysts closely watch the number of planes Boeing turns over to airlines and leasing firms for hints on the company’s cashflow and revenue.
Boeing also looked set to beat Airbus for aircraft orders on a like-for-like basis in 2018 after booking 893 net orders, excluding cancellations in the year.
Meanwhile, Airbus ended November with 380 net orders, to which it has since added confirmed deals for another 220 aircraft.
According to industry sources, it won another 150 from Asian-backed leasing companies that are yet to be announced, with Boeing also getting a lift from Chinese demand.
The Airbus tally, however, includes 120 of the former Bombardier CSeries, a Canadian plane program which it bought last year.
Orders for Boeing and Airbus are seen down compared to 2017 as airlines fret over trade tensions and the slowing global economic growth. But deliveries at both rose on the back of an earlier order boom.