Boeing delivered a record 762 commercial airplanes in 2015, exceeding its target of 755 to 760 and its previous year’s mark by 39. The company also managed to reach its targeted 1:1 book-to-bill ratio with net orders for 768 airplanes valued at $112.4 billion at list prices. At year-end the company held unfilled orders for 5,795 airplanes.
Boeing’s 135 Dreamliner deliveries appear to have accounted for much of the higher-than-expected total for the year. Reporting a production rate of ten 787s airplanes per month, Boeing delivered 15 more of the widebodies than its stated rate would have suggested at the start of the year. As expected, 737s led all models as Boeing delivered 495 of the narrowbodies in 2015. Meanwhile, its ninety-eight 777 deliveries equated to almost exactly the 8.3 per month rate the company projected at the start of the year.
“We had a solid year of orders in 2015, maintaining a strong, balanced backlog that will help ensure a steady stream of deliveries for years to come," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner.
Boeing appears to have again outdelivered rival Airbus, although the European airframer won’t reveal its figures for 2015 until it holds its annual press conference on Tuesday. Airbus’s delivery total as of the end of November stood at 556 compared with Boeing’s 709, clearly suggesting an edge for Boeing for the year regardless of a reportedly busy December for its competitor. Nevertheless, Airbus, which had collected net orders for 1,007 airplanes by the end of November, will finish the year with far more sales.