Boeing recovery milestones

Boeing’s recovery is now riding on whether it can turn a steadier factory and a huge order book into certified, delivered jets. (boeing.com) (cnbc.com) On April 22, Boeing said first-quarter revenue rose 14% to $22.2 billion, helped by 143 commercial airplane deliveries. Net loss narrowed to $7 million from $31 million a year earlier, and total backlog reached a record $695 billion. (boeing.com) The company said it is producing 737 Max jets at about 42 a month, and Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg told CNBC he expects to push that rate to 47 this summer if regulators approve. The Federal Aviation Administration has required signoff for further increases after the January 2024 Alaska Airlines door-plug blowout. (cnbc.com) (faa.gov) A backlog is a queue of planes customers have ordered but Boeing has not yet handed over. Boeing said that queue now includes more than 6,100 commercial airplanes, which means cash arrives only as production, certification and delivery keep moving. (boeing.com) Certification is the regulator’s formal approval that a plane design can enter service, and Boeing still needs it for the smallest 737 Max 7 and largest Max 10. Boeing said April 22 it still expects both approvals later in 2026, with deliveries starting in 2027. (cnbc.com) The hold-up has centered on engine anti-ice, a system that warms the engine inlet to prevent dangerous ice buildup in cold, wet conditions. Boeing began formal certification trials of a redesigned anti-ice fix this week on its lead 737 Max 10 test aircraft, according to The Air Current, a report Reuters said it could not independently verify. (theaircurrent.com) (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The Federal Aviation Administration said this week it sees no current roadblocks to certifying the Max 7 and Max 10 before the end of 2026. That is a more specific timetable than airlines had for much of 2025, when the anti-ice redesign was still being finalized. (bloomberg.com) (theaircurrent.com) Boeing is still burning cash while it works through that queue. In the first quarter, operating cash flow was negative $179 million and free cash flow was negative $1.5 billion, even after the jump in deliveries. (boeing.com) Ortberg, who became chief executive in August 2024, has been trying to stabilize production after years of safety, manufacturing and regulatory setbacks. Boeing told investors the first quarter reflected higher commercial delivery volume and improved operational performance, but the next test is whether that steadier pace survives the rest of 2026 without another certification or factory surprise. (cnbc.com) (boeing.com)