Boeing has been in the headlines for several years, but for all the wrong reasons, following the disastrous service entry of its 737 MAX, compounded by the endlessly delayed 777X next generation widebody program. It looks like that is finally about to change, as the company projects 2026 to be its first profitable year since its troubles began at the end of 2018 with the crash of Lion Air 610.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently raised the production quota cap for monthly 737 MAX deliveries following years of scrutiny to ensure that quality and safety were above board at the assembly line in Renton, Washington. The 777X is finally nearing the end of its certification trials as well, and recent increased defense contracting awards have helped the company bolster its bottom line.
Five Years of Course Correcting
Boeing shares have risen 10% on the S&P 500 since the morning of Tuesday, December 2nd, according to Reuters. The legendary plane maker claims it will also be able to deliver on its $10 billion free cash flow next year. That particular financial performance metric is especially hawked by investors.
Under the leadership of CEO Kelly Ortberg, the manufacturer finally cleared its back inventory of 737 Max airframes that were in storage at Moses Lake following the grounding due to the coronavirus pandemic. And despite the renewed scrutiny following the Alaska Airlines door blowout in 2024, the company has continued to make progress on 737 Max output.
The 787 Dreamliner, a clean sheet wide body design that debuted in 2011, has been the saving grace of the company during its over half a decade of strife. Orders continue to rack up for the highly efficient and outstandingly popular aircraft. In the opening days of November, the company broke ground on the expansion of its South Carolina 787 production facility. Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, remarked at the ceremony:
“This site expansion is a testament to the incredible work of our Boeing teammates and deepens our commitment to them, to South Carolina, and to American manufacturing.”
Boeing Looks Upward and Onward
Kelly Ortberg has steered the company through the largest commercial airliner grounding in the history of aviation following the death of nearly 350 souls between the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crash. He has gone on to help the company navigate issues with certification of the final two 737 Max variants, as well as the ongoing struggle with the 777X program.
In October 2025, the FAA finally raised its threshold for 737 Max deliveries from 38 to 42 per month, in a major victory for the company. The chokehold on its assembly line following the catastrophic quality and safety failures has allowed Airbus to surpass it and take the crown for the most mass-produced airliner in history, with the A320 family in the same month of this year.
Despite those major setbacks, orders have continued to flow in for all of the latest Boeing models. The bank order for the 777X and 787 far overshadows their Airbus competition in the widebody segment. Similarly, Southwest Airlines has hundreds of orders for the 737 MAX 7, which will be rapidly fulfilled once it is certified, and the stretched 737 MAX 10 is highly anticipated by many airlines around the world once it enters production.
Boeing Has Delivered More Planes So Far In 2025 Than It Did In All Of 2024
The manufacturer has significantly improved its production outlook.
Next Generation Air Dominance
In March of 2025, President Donald Trump announced that he was awarding Boeing the contract for the US Air Force’s first sixth-generation fighter jet, known as the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD). The aircraft has been tentatively dubbed the F-47 and will be made at the Boeing facilities in St. Louis, which have been experiencing ongoing labor strikes as technicians fight with corporate management for fair wages and benefits.
Despite disruptions caused by labor disputes, the F-15EX Eagle 2 and the final batches of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet have kept the company profitable on the defense side. In addition to its major win with the F-47 and continued fighter production, there have also been consistent orders for the KC-46 Pegasus air refueling platform based on the 767 airframe and the P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol aircraft based on the 737 Next Generation series.
The company has also been successful in securing additional orders for AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters alongside Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile seekers. Combined with the improvements on the commercial side of the business, all of these developments point toward a far more optimistic future for Boeing in the new year.
