Published February 2003

Boeing: 2002 new orders down 25% from 2001

SCBJ Staff

The Boeing Co. reported one of its worst-ever sales years when it recently announced it had taken new orders on 251 planes in 2002, down about 25 percent from the 2001 total of 328 new orders and nearly 60 percent less than 2000’s 605 orders.

Boeing also said airlines had delayed orders for 75 planes during the year, leaving it with a net of 176 orders for 2002.

Last year’s net sales total is comparable to the lows reached during the infamous Boeing Bust of 1970-71. Boeing and McDonnell-Douglas combined sold 162 planes in 1970, and 136 in 1971. But it’s not a record low. In 1994, Boeing and McDonnell-Douglas combined took only 125 orders.

The announcement also means that Airbus has outsold Boeing for the third time in the past four years. Reuters recently reported that Airbus had ended 2002 with 309 new jet orders. The report did not say how many Airbus orders had been deferred during the year.

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