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Boeing has high goals for 2026 as it aims to exit recovery mode and regain its former glory as the world’s leading Aerospace Juggernaut. The company has started the year strong with 284 net new orders in the first four months. This has been complemented by a rebound in output with first-quarter deliveries that outpaced Airbus for the first time since the 737 MAXcrisis began.
The last time Boeing saw so many early-year orders was 2014, when there were 291 logged over the same four-month period, according to The Seattle Times. The new influx of orders has brought the legendary plane maker’s backlog up to a total of 6,216 aircraft, including narrowbody and widebody jets. The value of this order book is estimated to be roughly $576 billion.
Boeing Aims To Reclaim Its Throne
Since taking the helm of the struggling Boeing assembly lines, CEO Kelly Ortberg has helped to successfully stabilize production with a kind of ‘industrial reset.’ Since the 737 MAX crisis unfolded, he has reduced output and consolidated the supply chain to increase quality assurance while minimizing gaps in the building process for mistakes or defects.
These efforts have successfully seen the Federal Aviation Administration raise the production quota of the 737 MAX assembly line to 42 per month. These improvements have not gone unnoticed by its customers around the world, with Boeing netting 135 orders in April alone. Now the company aims to increase that number to 47 deliveries a month, later this year, all while the 787 Dreamliner program has continued to steadily deliver airplanes that have helped prop up the company.
Kelly Ortberg, Boeing president and chief executive officer, gave these remarks in the company’s first quarter press release:
“We’re building on our momentum with a strong start to the year and growing record-breaking backlog across our business… [we’re] increasing production to uphold our customer commitments and get back to the iconic global aerospace company that leads our industry.”
The Battle For Single Aisle Bragging Rights
One of the status blows that Boeing suffered as a manufacturer during the 737 MAX crisis was losing its crown as the champion of narrowbody jetliners. The 737 family had been the best-selling single-aisle jetliner in history until 2025, when the Airbus A320 series overtook it. Airbus officially surpassed Boeing when it reached a cumulative delivery milestone of 12,260 jets. The landmark moment came when Airbus handed over a new A320neo to Saudi carrier Flynas in October of last year.
Boeing’s strategy to claw back market share primarily rests on expanding the MAX lineup. There was an enormous backlog of orders for the as-yet uncertified Boeing 737 MAX 10, the longest and highest capacity variant. This jet is one of the most anticipated planes ever made by Boeing, and the current backlog is over 1,700 strong. Meanwhile, the short-body MAX 7 is also awaiting certification, for which Southwest Airlines alone has several hundred orders on the books.
Boeing expects to complete FAA approval this year and raise its monthly production output steadily to work towards fulfilling the massive backlog and reclaiming its position as the leader of single-aisle jet manufacturing.
‘We Are Suffering’: Airbus Profits Plummet 52% As Boeing Claws Back
The European titan starts 2026 on the back foot.
Best Selling Widebody Jetliner Of All Time
While Airbus still maintains a larger overall order book for the full year, Boeing’s operational stabilization has allowed it to capitalize on post-pandemic market demand. Just under a week ago, the company successfully flew the first production-grade 777-9 next-generation widebody, intended to be delivered to Lufthansa in early 2027. This is a strong showing for a program that is over half a decade behind schedule, but remains one of the most highly anticipated planes being developed in the world.
Despite Boeing’s corporate struggles, severe regulatory delivery pauses, and narrowbody production line halts, airlines continue buying the 787. The 787 program accumulated over 2,250 lifetime orders, dwarfing any single widebody competitor from Airbus.
While the 737 MAX suffered from fatal system flaws that cost the lives of nearly 350 crew and passengers, the 787’s challenges have been localized defects discovered during assembly. FAA inspectors personally sign off on every individual 787 and 737 MAX aircraft before it leaves the factory after the agency stripped Boeing of its certification privileges, further ensuring no more major defects make it to a production airplane.
