Boeing orders rise to 4-year high but still trail Airbus

By DAVID KOENIG
AP Airlines Writer

Boeing took more than 200 net orders for passenger airplanes in December to complete its best year since 2018, but it failed again to catch up with European manufacturer Airbus in orders and aircraft deliveries. Airbus reported Tuesday that it took orders for 820 planes in all of 2022, and it delivered 661 to airlines and other customers. Those numbers topped Boeing’s 774 orders and 480 deliveries. The battle for supremacy in aircraft manufacturing has been a one-sided affair in recent years, as Boeing was dragged down by two deadly crashes of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, and with production flaws that halted shipments of a larger plane, the 787. The latest numbers showed Boeing closing the gap, however.