Boeing's commercial aircraft deliveries rose 10 percent in the last three months of 2011, the company said Thursday, driven by widespread growth among its models and two deliveries of the highly anticipated 787.
The Chicago company delivered 128 commercial airplanes in the fourth quarter, compared with 116 in the same period a year earlier. In the third quarter, it delivered 127 commercial planes, including its first 787 to Japanese airline All Nippon Airways.
Fourth-quarter results included two deliveries of the 787, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner. They also included nine deliveries of the 747, none of which were delivered in last year's fourth quarter; six 767 deliveries, up from three a year ago; and 20 777s, compared with 18 deliveries a year earlier.
The biggest chunk of the fourth-quarter tally was 91 deliveries of its 737 model, down slightly from 95 in the fourth quarter of 2010. Boeing has announced plans to build a new version of this best-selling model with a new engine, which it calls the 737 max.
It's Boeing's response to rival Airbus, which plans to build a more fuel-efficient version of its popular plane, the A320 neo. Southwest Airlines Co. will be the first recipient of Boeing's new plane, representing the biggest firm order in the company's history by number of planes - 208 - and by list-price value, at nearly $19 billion.
