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Chicago (AP) - The US aviation giant Boeing continues to groan under the corona crisis after its record loss last year and again posted deep red numbers in early 2021.
In the first quarter, the bottom line was a loss of 561 million dollars (464 million euros), as the Airbus rival announced in Chicago on Wednesday.
It was the sixth quarter in a row with a minus.
A year ago, the shortfall was $ 641 million.
Boeing boss Dave Calhoun tried in the annual report to spread confidence: "We see 2021 as an important turning point for our industry".
Although the pandemic is continuing to weigh on the aircraft market, hopes of a strong recovery are increasing as vaccines become more widespread.
Investors did not share the optimism at first and dropped Boeing's shares in pre-market US trading.
Analysts had expected less loss on average.
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After the lifting of the flight ban for its bestseller 737 Max in important markets such as the USA and Europe, Boeing was able to deliver numerous machines of the series and also collect new orders. But there were problems with the 787 “Dreamliner” long-haul jet, so that the manufacturer only handed over two copies to its customers in the past quarter. At $ 15.2 billion, sales were another ten percent lower than in the same period of the previous year.
Growth in the defense and space business could not compensate for the sharp slump in the commercial aircraft division. In addition, there are already new construction sites at the 737 Max, which was banned from starting for around 20 months due to two crashes with 346 deaths and was only allowed to operate again in the USA in November. At the moment, around 106 machines have to stay on the ground again because Boeing found electrical problems in the cockpit at the beginning of April that turned out to be more far-reaching than initially thought.
Boeing did not provide any clear information in its annual report on when and how the deficiencies should be remedied.
CEO Calhoun wrote in a letter to employees that the plans to fix the problems were nearing completion and the repairs should only require a few days of work per aircraft.
The US aviation authority FAA has to agree to the solution and should examine it carefully in view of the history of the accident jet.
The aircraft manufacturer also admitted other new difficulties.
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For example, Boeing is behind schedule with the work on the new US presidential aircraft, Air Force One, and once again had to cope with high unscheduled costs in the loss-making project.
Problems due to the Corona crisis and anger with a supplier burdened the balance sheet in the most recent quarter with around 318 million dollars before taxes.
The Pentagon hired Boeing to build the new Air Force One in January 2016.
The new 747-8 jumbos are intended to replace the aging 747 jets that have been flying the President around the world since the early 1990s.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210428-99-388487 / 2
Boeing announcement