Boeing experienced another big drop in aircraft deliveries in August, as the worldwide grounding of its best-selling 737 MAX jet enters its seventh month and continues to hit the aerospace giant.
Regular monthly numbers from the U.S. manufacturer showed it delivered only 18 aircraft in August, down nearly 72 percent from the year-ago period – 64 deliveries happened.
From the beginning of the year until the end of August, Boeing has delivered 276 planes, compared with 481 last year – down 42.6%.
Chicago-based Boeing has not delivered any of its 737 MAX aircraft since the single-aisle plane was grounded worldwide in March, after two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
The manufacturer has been working on fixes to address concerns by the Federal Aviation Administration and other global regulators. Boeing expects to receive certification from the FAA by October, to put the jets back in the air.
Boeing is still trying to catch up with European rival Airbus SE, which remains ahead with combined deliveries of 500 aircraft, for the first eight months of 2019. Airbus delivered 207 of its A320neo jets, which competes with the 737 MAX.
