Boeing Books 165 Net Orders in October as Deliveries Fall to 49

Boeing recorded 165 net orders in October 2026, its strongest October for net orders since 1997, while deliveries fell to 49 aircraft from 57 in September, according to CNBC and Air Data News. The order book carried zero cancellations. The delivery count, however, points to production constraints that remain unresolved on both narrowbody and widebody lines.

What drove the record order month?

A single lessor transaction dominated. Avolon, the Dublin-based aircraft lessor, ordered 140 Boeing 737-10 jets, close to 85% of Boeing's entire October order intake. Boeing confirmed the deal as finalised on 4 November, having first announced it on 9 October. Air Data News reports that no leasing company has ever placed a larger single-aisle order with the manufacturer.

The remaining 737 MAX activity was modest:

• Allegiant Air ordered six jets.
• Four additional 737 MAX orders came from unidentified buyers.
• Undisclosed customers ordered fifteen 787s.

How far did deliveries fall?

Boeing handed over 49 jets in October, below both the 57 delivered in September and the 53 delivered in October 2025. The 737 MAX accounted for 32 deliveries, down from 43 in September. The Seattle Times reports that October 2026 was Boeing's lowest monthly 737 MAX delivery count since November 2025.

Widebody output was thin: 11 787 Dreamliners, two 777 freighters and two 767-300F freighters. Air Data News reports the month also included two government variants, a 737-800A and a 767-2C. CNBC reports Boeing handed over three 767s in total, one of them a KC-46 tanker (the military refuelling derivative of the 767) destined for Boeing Defense.

What is holding back production?

Two separate constraints are squeezing output. On the narrowbody side, CNBC reports that wing output is acting as a bottleneck for 737 production. On the widebody side, an ongoing dispute with a supplier has brought wing manufacturing for the 777 freighter and the 767 to a halt.

Boeing is targeting a 737 production rate of 47 jets per month. That goal is now expected to be reached in early 2027, according to CNBC and Air Data News. The delay follows workforce reductions and 737 MAX ramp-up setbacks reported earlier in November, with Boeing having announced a 5% cut to its commercial workforce while carrying a record backlog.

What does this change for the Airbus gap?

The delivery gap separating the two manufacturers remains substantial. Airbus handed over 621 commercial jets between January and October 2026. Boeing managed 524 aircraft over the same period, a shortfall of 97 units with two months of the year remaining.

Boeing's running total still tells a more encouraging story than a year ago. At 524 deliveries through the first ten months of 2026, the manufacturer runs approximately 6% ahead of the 493 aircraft delivered over the equivalent period of 2025. The year-on-year improvement is real, but it sits against a backdrop of continued production difficulty.

On the customer side, demand holds firm. Boeing is beginning 737 MAX deliveries to ANA in December, a sign that major carriers still want the aircraft even as production catches up.

The balance sheet of the month

October's order result is genuinely exceptional: 165 net orders, no cancellations, anchored by the largest single-aisle order a lessor has ever placed with Boeing. That is a strong commercial signal for the 737-10 variant (the largest model in the MAX family) and for lessor confidence in single-aisle demand.

The delivery numbers show manufacturing constraints are not resolved. With the 737 rate target of 47 per month pushed into early 2027 and supplier disputes affecting widebody wing production, the gap between what airlines want and what Boeing can produce remains the central challenge heading into the new year.