Boeing's order backlog hits a record US$745.4bn
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What the chart shows
Boeing ended September with a record US$745.4bn of orders still to deliver. Demand is not what sank the shares on Tuesday.
The trouble is the factory floor. Boeing now expects to hold 737 production steady early next year rather than this northern summer, and a dispute with a wing-parts supplier has held up work beyond the 737 as well. Because airlines pay for most of a plane on delivery, fewer deliveries mean less cash; Wall Street had expected US$5.5 billion of free cash flow next year, according to Jefferies' Sheila Kahyaoglu, and Boeing's own outlook is below that.
The chart starts in March 2018. The backlog was down to US$363.4bn by December 2020 and has grown every quarter since the end of 2024. Boeing's goal for 2029 is US$10 billion of free cash flow, with 737 output of 52 to 58 a month.
The story behind it
Boeing fell 10.69% after pushing its 737 recovery into next year Read the edition →Boeing on the calendar
Next results: date to come. It goes on the calendar as soon as Boeing announces it. Economic calendar →The numbers
Boeing's order backlog at each quarter end, March 2018 to September 2026, in US$bn. It was US$363.4bn in December 2020; now the factories are the constraint.
| Order backlog at quarter end, US$bn | |
|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2018 | US$486.2bn |
| 30 Jun 2018 | US$488.0bn |
| 30 Sep 2018 | US$491.2bn |
| 31 Dec 2018 | US$490.5bn |
| 31 Mar 2019 | US$486.8bn |
| 30 Jun 2019 | US$474.3bn |
| 30 Sep 2019 | US$470.2bn |
| 31 Dec 2019 | US$463.4bn |
| 31 Mar 2020 | US$438.6bn |
| 30 Jun 2020 | US$408.7bn |
| 30 Sep 2020 | US$393.1bn |
| 31 Dec 2020 | US$363.4bn |
| 31 Mar 2021 | US$363.9bn |
| 30 Jun 2021 | US$363.5bn |
| 30 Sep 2021 | US$367.1bn |
| 31 Dec 2021 | US$377.5bn |
| 31 Mar 2022 | US$370.8bn |
| 30 Jun 2022 | US$371.7bn |
| 30 Sep 2022 | US$381.3bn |
| 31 Dec 2022 | US$404.4bn |
| 31 Mar 2023 | US$411.4bn |
| 30 Jun 2023 | US$439.6bn |
| 30 Sep 2023 | US$469.2bn |
| 31 Dec 2023 | US$520.2bn |
| 31 Mar 2024 | US$528.7bn |
| 30 Jun 2024 | US$515.9bn |
| 30 Sep 2024 | US$510.5bn |
| 31 Dec 2024 | US$521.3bn |
| 31 Mar 2025 | US$544.7bn |
| 30 Jun 2025 | US$618.5bn |
| 30 Sep 2025 | US$635.7bn |
| 31 Dec 2025 | US$682.2bn |
| 31 Mar 2026 | US$694.7bn |
| 30 Jun 2026 | US$715.3bn |
| 30 Sep 2026 | US$745.4bn |
35 rows: scroll the table for the rest.
How we make these charts: one chart a day from a story in the edition, drawn from the figures the story names and checked against the sources named on the chart before it is published. General information only, not financial advice.
