Boeing fell behind arch-rival Airbus after a collapse in deliveries made its nightmare year even worse

REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

An Airbus A330 NEO flies past a Boeing sign at the 2019 International Paris Air Show.

• The number of commercial jets delivered by Boeing in the first half of 2019 plummeted, another bad development for the company in its nightmare year.
• It delivered 239 planes in the first six months of the year, 150 fewer than its European rival Airbus' 389 planes.
• Boeing lose its status as the world's largest planemaker if the trend continues.
• Boeing delivered just 90 planes in the second quarter of 2019, after the second fatal crash of its 737 Max plane plunged the company into a crisis.
• Boeing faces lawsuits from shareholders, pilots, and victims' families, as well as Congressional and federal scrutiny, and demands for compensation from airlines around the world.
• Read more stories like this on Business Insider.

Boeing's nightmare year got even worse after the number of commercial jets it delivered plummeted, with the aviation giant at risk of falling behind arch-rival Airbus in the competition to be the world's largest planemaker.

The number of planes delivered by Boeing dropped by more than a third in the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year.

This leaves Boeing's status as the world's largest planemaker, a position it has held for eight years, under threat if the trend continues for the rest of the year.

Boeing delivered 239 planes in the first six months of the year, according to the company's latest figures. Airbus, its European rival, delivered 389 planes over the same period.

In the same period in 2018, Boeing delivered 378 planes, while Airbus delivered just 303. So while Airbus has seen a 28% increase in deliveries since last year, Boeing has witnessed a 37% fall.

Read more: 400 pilots have joined a growing number of airlines in demanding payback from Boeing for its 737 Max disasters - here's the full list

Boeing's deliveries fell by 75% between the first and second quarters of the year.

KING 5 News/YouTube

Boeing 737 Max jets.

Just 90 of its 239 deliveries in 2019 took place in the second quarter of the year, as airlines became increasingly reluctant to buy from Boeing after the second fatal crash involving one of its 737 Max planes in March.

Boeing has come under commercial and regulatory scrutiny since the two crashes, which killed 346 people and left the 737 Max grounded around the world.

While International Airlines Group, which owns some of Europe's biggest airlines, announced a commitment to buy 200 Max jets, the company has not announced any firm orders for the 737 Max since the second crash.

Boeing faces lawsuits from shareholders, pilots, families around the world, as well as Congressional hearings and federal investigations into how the plane was made and certified to fly by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Read more: Here are all the investigations and lawsuits that Boeing and the FAA are facing after the 737 Max crashes killed almost 350 people

Boeing managed to perform better than expected at June's Paris Air Show - the largest exhibition in the world for the industry and a venue where plane manufacturers announce new orders. However, Airbus still came out victorious at the show, outselling Boeing and announcing a new plane.

Reuters

American civil aviation and Boeing investigators search through the debris at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max plane crash.

Boeing's latest figures reveal a stark reversal compared to the same time last year, when it was basking in the positive reception of the brand new 737 Max, and Airbus was struggling with issues like engine shortages.

The 737 Max will remain grounded until the FAA and regulators around the world approve the plane to fly again, but newly discovered issues with the plane mean further delays to this process.

In the meantime, Boeing has slowed production of the 737 Max, from 52 a month to 42 a month.

Airlines around the world are seeking compensation from Boeing as they cancel flights involving Max jets, and one airline has cancelled its order for $6 billion worth of the planes.

Boeing is also facing issues with some of its other planes, including problems with the GE engines in its 777x planes, and possible wing defects on some of its planes.

• Read more about Boeing and the 737 Max crashes:

• Boeing just announced $100 million for families of 737 Max crash victims. It likely won't be enough.

• Who developed the Boeing 737 Max's flawed software? Low-paid temp workers and recent college grads, according to report

  Families of 737 Max crash victims say Boeing has not contacted them, offered support, or apologized since the disasters

• Delta CEO says airline industry is 'traumatized' after Boeing 737 Max scandal

• American Airlines plans to use its execs as guinea pigs to convince people that the Boeing 737 Max won't crash again

  Boeing is crowding its employee parking lot with undelivered 737 Max jets, and the company says that's part of its 'inventory-management plan'

  The Justice Department is looking deeper into Boeing while the company scrambles to get its troubled 737 Max plane up and running again

• 'I could never live with myself': The parents of a Boeing 737 Max victim explain why they chose to campaign to prevent another disaster, rather than 'go to bed' and grieve

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