Boeing orders for commercial jets soared to 303 in May, better than the prior four months combined, as the U.S. aerospace giant cashed in on President Donald Trump's trade deals, most notably with Qatar. The data on Boeing's website comes as the company prepares for next week's Paris Air Show, at which more order announcements are anticipated.
Boeing fell slightly in Tuesday's stock market action as it trades near a 17-month high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average member nose-dived to a two-year low after Trump's launch of reciprocal tariffs in early April.
Boeing Orders In May
Boeing's order tally lists 150 from Qatar. That includes 30 for its new 777-9 twin-engine jet and 120 for its wide-body 787 Dreamliner. The company announced the deal with Qatar Airways on May 14 at a signing in Doha with Trump present. It called for 160 orders, with 130 Dreamliners.
Boeing also received 20 orders for its 737 MAX from AviLease, a global aircraft leasing company based in Saudi Arabia.
Among the May orders is an order for 119 737 MAX jets from an unidentified customer.
The data doesn't include an order for 32 Dreamliners announced by British Airways parent, International Airlines Group, on May 9 as the Trump administration announced a trade deal with the U.K.
Ahead of this week's U.S.-China trade talks over rare earth magnets, Reuters reported that Boeing had resumed deliveries of its 737 MAX to China. The resumption comes after Chinese Airlines earlier temporarily stopped taking Boeing deliveries amid trade frictions.
Boeing's 303 orders in May, the most in any month since December 2023, bring the total for the year to 552. That's almost as many as the 569 orders in all of 2024.
Paris Air Show
"We continue to make fundamental changes across Boeing to strengthen safety, quality and our culture, and we are seeing steady improvement in our performance," CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a statement outlining display plans at the Paris Air Show starting June 16. "We look forward to connecting with our customers and partners at Le Bourget to demonstrate the work underway to restore trust and move Boeing forward."
Company data shows Boeing delivered 45 jets in May, including 31 737 MAX aircraft.
Boeing has 6,537 unfilled orders, including 4,864 for the 737 MAX.
Forecast International said it expects "a healthy level of order announcements" at the Paris Air Show, though the industry is focused less on demand than delivery schedules and manufacturing constraints.
BA Stock
Boeing edged down 0.8% to 215.73 in Tuesday afternoon stock market action, with May's big orders already largely known. Boeing is well extended after clearing a 184.40 buy point from a double-bottom base on May 2. The buy zone runs through 193.62.
