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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • U.S. asks Brazil to buy Boeing fighter jets 10/2/08 • Rosy days ahead for airlines? 9/27/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, September 26, 2008 Boeing racks up orders for 24 jets By Michelle Dunlop, Herald Writer EVERETT -- Even with its Machinists on strike, the Boeing Co. added orders on Thursday for 24 new jets that the striking workers will build upon their return. It's the largest weekly order tally Boeing has seen since July. The new orders -- all of which were attributed to unidentified customers -- included requests for 11 737s, nine 767s and four 777s. That brings Boeing's year-to-date jet order tally to 610. The company's order book so far this year looks slightly different than in recent years. As of Sept. 23, roughly 76 percent of Boeing's year-to-date tally comes from single-aisle 737 jet sales. If the trend continues, Boeing's widebody jets, built in Everett, would make up the lowest percentage of annual sales since 2003. The decline in Boeing twin-aisle sales this year is due to Boeing's recent successes and failures, said Scott Hamilton, an analyst with Leeham Co. "Nobody wants the 747, and there aren't any more slots on the 787 until 2020," Hamilton said. Boeing's popular 787 Dreamliner, which is seeing its fewest orders this year since its 2004 launch year, has suffered numerous delays. The strike by Boeing's Machinists will only add to the delay for the mostly composite jet. The Machinists went on strike against Boeing on Sept. 6 after the two sides couldn't reach an agreement on a new three-year labor contract. No new negotiations have been scheduled. The strike will push back deliveries on Boeing's other fast-selling twin-aisle jet, the 777. Any airline that wants a 777, which has a backlog of about 350 unfilled requests, will wait nearly 41/2 years to get one, Hamilton said. For widebody jet customers, that leaves Boeing's 767 -- a jet that's future had been tied with Boeing's ability to win the U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tanker contest. Boeing executives have predicted a resurgence in 767 orders because of delays in the 787. On Thursday, Boeing added an order for nine 767-300 Extended Range airplanes. But the 767 has picked up only 11 net orders this year. Japan's All Nippon Airways said Thursday that it has negotiated for nine 767-300 Extended Range jets from Boeing because of the delays in the jet maker's 787 Dreamliner program. The airline won't receive the first of its 50 787s on order until August 2009, more than a year behind schedule. Boeing has booked 467 net requests for its 737 as of Sept. 23. Last year, Boeing set a new sales record with 1,413 net orders. But high fuel costs have driven down orders for both Boeing and its rival Airbus. The European company, which updates its order Web site monthly, had booked 708 net orders through the end of August. Boeing and Airbus remain virtually tied in single-aisle orders this year. But Airbus has pulled ahead in terms of widebody sales with 265, compared with Boeing's 143. Therefore, twin-aisle jets are a larger percentage of Airbus' sales this year at 37 percent. But Airbus' numbers are a bit misleading, Hamilton noted. The jet maker had reached tentative agreements for large orders last fall with several Chinese airlines and with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise but didn't finalize the agreements until this year. Airbus has picked up more than 130 orders this year for its new A350 Extra Wide Body jet, due out in 2013. Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.

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