Boeing delivered just 32 737 Max planes in October, its lowest number of monthly Max handoffs since November 2025.

The October delivery rate is significantly lower than it has been for most of the year, with Boeing handing over 43 Maxes in September, 41 in August and 39 in July.

Its Max deliveries peaked so far this year in May with 51 and slumped in April and March with 34 and 33, respectively, as it dealt with a machining issue that left scratches on some wires.

Boeing executives told analysts in October that the planemaker would miss its target for 500 Max deliveries this year, as it struggles to stabilize its production cadence at 47 planes per month.

With October’s Max output, Boeing has delivered 395 Max aircraft in the first 10 months of the year. That's still an increase from the same 10 months last year, when Boeing delivered 364 Max planes.

Boeing’s production rate is not directly comparable to its monthly deliveries because some planes that roll out of the factory are not delivered right away, as they wait for unfinished jobs or certain customer specifications. But the number of deliveries can serve as a proxy for how things are going inside the factory.

In September, CEO Kelly Ortberg told investors that the planned rate increase from 42 monthly Max aircraft to 47 was taking longer than expected, particularly because its Renton wing shop was not keeping up with the increased production cadence. He reiterated those comments in October during the company’s third quarter earnings call and said Boeing would not increase monthly Max production again to rate 52 until mid-2027.

That production slowdown led Boeing to announce layoffs in its commercial airplanes division Monday. The company plans to cut about 5% of its commercial workforce, through a combination of attrition and layoffs, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stephanie Pope told employees Monday.

“Adjusting our production schedules and reducing aircraft output puts us in an overstaffed position,” Pope said. “Unfortunately, that means we need to align our staffing levels to our revised business plan.”

Boeing's total commercial aircraft deliveries have increased year over year, from 493 in the first 10 months of 2025 to 524 in the first 10 months this year.

Deliveries of Boeing’s South Carolina-built 787 have been uneven this year, with 10 delivered in July, four in August, eight in September and 11 in October.

Boeing has delivered 73 787s in the first 10 months of the year, compared to 66 in the same time frame last year. It still expects to deliver between 90 and 100 787s this year.

Also in October, Boeing delivered one 737 NG to its defense division, two 777 freighters and three 767s. Of those three, two went to UPS and one went to Boeing’s defense unit.

Boeing’s total output of 49 airplanes in October falls far short of its European rival Airbus, which delivered 74 planes last month. In the first 10 months of the year, Airbus delivered 621 aircraft, compared to Boeing’s 524.

On the orders front, Boeing booked 165 gross orders in October, including an order for 140 737 Max 10s from aircraft lessor Avolon. That brings Boeing’s total order book for its recently certified Max variant to nearly 1,700 orders.

Boeing did not record any order cancellations in October and there was no net change when adjusting for accounting principles, so Boeing’s net orders for the month were also 165.

In the first 10 months of the year, Boeing booked 828 gross orders and, after factoring in 45 cancellations and 68 adjustments for accounting principles, 851 net orders.

Comparatively, Airbus booked 202 gross orders in October and 1,376 gross orders for the first 10 months of the year.

Boeing’s commercial backlog increased from 6,341 at the end of September to 6,457 at the end of October.

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