Update 2-boeing doubles 787 deliveries in the third quarter
Play all audios:
(Adds 787 background, analyst comment) Oct 4 (Reuters) - Boeing Co said on Thursday itdoubled deliveries of its fuel-efficient 787 jets in the thirdquarter to 12, compared with six in the
second quarter. Boeing is years behind its initial delivery schedule on thenew light-weight, carbon-composite 787 aircraft after extensivedevelopment delays. The company declined to say how
many of the 787s deliveredin the quarter came from a group of previously produced jetsthat needed engineering changes after they left the factory. Boeing has produced more than 70 of its 787
jet anddelivered 26, suggesting that 45 or more jets require thepost-factory retrofitting, said Russell Solomon an analyst atMoody's Investors Service in New York. "When you do
the math, there are 50-ish sitting there withsome level of work that needs to be completed," he said. "Wethink most of those will get delivered next year. A few morefrom that group
should be delivered this year." All of 787s delivered so far have been produced at Boeing'splant in Everett, Wash. Boeing is trying to speed up production to five 787s permonth by
year-end. The rate will include jets made at its plantin South Carolina. That factory is expected to deliver its first787 from South Carolina on Friday, to Air India. Overall, the company
delivered 149 jets in the thirdquarter, down from 150 in the second, but up from 137 in thefirst quarter. Deliveries rose 17 percent from a year ago. Orders rose sharply in the latest
quarter, hitting 404,compared with 36 in the second quarter. Orders for the new 737 MAX drove the increase, Boeing said.The company logged orders for 377 of the single-aisle 737 jetsin the
quarter, up from just three in the second quarter of2012, and compared with 243 in the third quarter of 2011. Among the big buyers, United Airlines ordered 100 ofthe 737 MAX planes, and Air
Lease Corp and GE CapitalAviation Services ordered 75 each. Virgin AustraliaAirlines ordered 23. (Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Maureen Bavdek, TimDobbyn and M.D. Golan) Keywords:
BOEING DELIVERIES/