New York (AFP)
Boeing has suffered a collapse of its deliveries of aircraft in the first half, due to the crisis of its flagship 737 MAX aircraft, grounded since mid-March after two accidents causing 346 deaths, a disappointment that benefits his rival Airbus .
The American aircraft manufacturer delivered 239 airliners to airline customers between January and June, a decrease of 37% in one year.
In the second quarter alone, shipments of Boeing civil aircraft dropped by nearly 54 percent to 90 units, compared with 194 in the same period a year earlier, according to a statement.
The plummet of the Boeing home is a happy: its eternal European rival Airbus, now on track to delight him this year and for the first time the title of the world's leading aircraft manufacturer in terms of deliveries.
The European manufacturer has delivered, he, 389 devices in the first six months of the year, up 28% year on year, according to figures available on its website.
Deliveries are a reliable indicator of profitability in the aerospace industry, mainly because customers pay all of their bills when they take possession of the aircraft.
If Boeing had sold a few years ago in terms of orders, the American group had always taken care to dominate Airbus in terms of deliveries.
The change in the balance of power between the two aircraft manufacturers is mainly due to the fact that Boeing had to suspend deliveries of the 737 MAX aircraft, which accounts for more than two thirds of its order book.
This aircraft - revamped version of the 737 NG - is banned from flying after the crash of an aircraft of this type by Ethiopian Airlines on March 10, southeast of Addis Ababa, killing 157 people.
- Orders in the red -
As in the Lion Air accident (189 fatalities) five months earlier, the preliminary findings involved the MAX's unique anti-stall system (MCAS). It was supposed to give the pilots the same sensations as for the previous generation of 737, despite a new engine and a very different flight behavior.
Ironically, it was in the second quarter of 2018 that the Chicago group delivered its first 737 MAX to Jet Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.
It's hard to say today when the 737 MAX will be allowed to fly again. Southwest and American Airlines, two large customers of this model, canceled flights until the fall.
Boeing will have a hard time getting back on Airbus: many analysts do not expect a resumption of deliveries of the 737 MAX before December.
Jefferies is expecting a total of 236 737 MAX aircraft this year, up from 580 in 2018.
The crisis of the 737 MAX also extends to the controls, Boeing posting a net deficit of 119 aircraft in the first half, due to cancellations. Airbus is however in the green, with 88 net devices ordered.
Since the grounding of the 737 MAX, the marks of interest for this flagship aircraft are rare. If the group IAG (British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus ...) has ordered 200 units at the Paris Air Show, the low-cost Saudi airline Flyadeal has canceled Sunday a order of 50 copies to purchase Airbus A320 NEOs.
Boeing is working hard on a MCAS update, but a new problem with a 737 MAX microprocessor posing a "potential risk" has been detected by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), the main aerial regulator in the United States.
The bill for this crisis was estimated at $ 1 billion in mid-April. Boeing is expected to raise this amount when it reports its second quarter results on July 24.
? 2019 AFP