Boeing focuses on recovery, but watching market for new single-aisle jet

By Dan Catchpole

SEATTLE (Reuters) -Boeing said it is focused on the company's recovery, amid news reports of the U.S. planemaker developing a new single-aisle jet to succeed its best-selling jet, the 737 MAX. 

“Our teams continue to be focused on our recovery plan, including delivering on our existing backlog of nearly 6,000 commercial airplanes and certifying the new 737-7, 737-10 and 777-9 models," Boeing spokesperson Ryan Cudney said in an email.

"At the same time, as we have done over the decades, our team evaluates the market, advances key technologies, and improves our financial performance, so that we will be ready when the time is right to move forward with a new product," he said. 

Boeing's commercial airplane division has endured a series of crises in recent years, including in 2024 a mid-air accident of a new 737 MAX and a 53-day-long strike that shut down most of its jet production.

Rival Airbus has won more single-aisle jet orders in recent years. According to Boeing's and Airbus' websites, since 2020, the European planemaker has received 4,540 orders for its A320 family of jets after adjusting for cancellations, compared to 3,300 net orders for 737 MAX jets.

(Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle, Editing by Nick Zieminski)