Boeing books $1.1 b in orders, races to hit sales target

Reuters: Boeing Co booked 11 new jetliner orders worth about $1.1 billion at list prices, leaving it with about 180 more sales to land this month to meet its 2015 target.

The world’s largest plane maker also affirmed that orders will roughly equal the 755-760 jetliners it had expected to deliver to customers this year.

European rival Airbus said this week it had booked 1,007 net orders through November. That compares with 575 net orders for Boeing.

With its total topping 1,000, Airbus appeared almost certain to win the annual order race. But for deliveries, Boeing is likely to again beat Airbus, which has estimated about 630 planes. Boeing’s latest orders included 10 of its 737 planes for Turkish Airlines and one 767 for FedEx Corp. Four orders for 737 jetliners were canceled.

Boeing said the lost orders were “straightforward NG cancellations,” referring to the current 737NG model, and not conversions of orders to the forthcoming 737 MAX.

Conversions have been a frequent cause of 737NG cancellations this year and do not reduce the order book as outright cancellations do.

Boeing rolled out the first 737 MAX this week at its factory in Renton, Washington. The plane, which runs on 14% less fuel than the current 737, is due to make its first flight early next year and enter service in 2017.