Boeing delivered 481 commercial airplanes last year, matching its guidance of 480 to 485 units, the company announced today. The Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) backlog now stands at 3,375 airplanes. Boeing registered 263 gross and 142 net commercial orders for the year as air travel and freight declined and carriers worldwide experienced what Boeing described as severe economic “challenges.”

Boeing’s 737 line continued to lead the company’s delivery totals, with 372. The airplane also topped Boeing’s order book with gross orders for 197 examples and net orders for 178. The 777 followed in a distant second, with 88 deliveries and net orders for 19 airplanes. The 787 suffered the worst effects of the industry slide with a net order tally of -59, shrinking its still robust backlog to 851 airplanes.

“2009 was not without its challenges, but it also was a year of exciting achievements for our company and our industry,” said BCA president and CEO Jim Albaugh. “With signs of economic recovery emerging in 2010, we look forward to better days ahead.”

Boeing said it plans to provide commercial airplane delivery guidance for this year when it releases year-end earnings on January 27.