Boeing booked 303 new orders and delivered 45 aircraft in May, including 38 newly built 737 MAX jets.
The company said Tuesday that it hit its long-term goal of producing 38 MAX aircraft in a single month. This comes just days before the start of the Paris Air Show.
The 303 new orders mark Boeing’s sixth-highest monthly total. Qatar Airways placed the largest widebody jet order in Boeing’s history, with 130 787s and 30 777Xs, plus options for another 50 aircraft.
Only 120 of the 787s were added to May’s count. Ten others were ordered in March but were previously listed under an unidentified customer.
Boeing also reported 300 net new orders in May after three cancellations. The company’s total backlog stood at 5,943 aircraft as of May 31.
Other orders included 20 737-8 MAX aircraft from Saudi Arabia’s AviLease and seven 737 MAX jets from Canadian airline WestJet, which also cancelled two previous orders. Etihad said it planned to buy 28 widebody Boeing jets, though the deal was not finalized in May and was not included in the total.
Of the 45 aircraft delivered last month, 31 were 737 MAX jets, with seven going to United Airlines and four to Alaska Airlines. The company also handed over seven 787s, including three for Qatar Airways, five 777 freighters, one 767 freighter, and one 737 NG for conversion into a P-8 Poseidon for the U.S. Navy.
No aircraft were delivered to Chinese airlines during May, but a new 737 MAX landed in China on Monday after the country lifted a delivery ban tied to a trade dispute. Boeing had been blocked from shipping jets to China since April.
So far in 2025, Boeing has delivered 220 aircraft: 164 737 MAX jets, three 737 NGs for P-8s, 28 787s, 16 777s, and nine 767s. Rival Airbus has delivered 243 aircraft this year, including 51 in May.
Airbus did not report any new orders last month but is expected to make announcements during the Paris Air Show.
Production of the 737 MAX has faced delays in recent years due to internal problems, a workers’ strike, and regulatory limits. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration currently caps production at 38 aircraft per month following a safety issue on a flight in January 2024.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company must maintain the 38-per-month production level for several months before requesting FAA approval to increase the rate. Boeing said all six safety and quality metrics monitored by the FAA are currently marked green.
