Boeing Co. notched 530 net commercial aircraft orders and delivered 462 airplanes during 2010 as the commercial aerospace market continued to rebound along with the global economy.
The Chicago-based aerospace company saw an improvement in its key commercial airplane business, which accounts for more than half of Boeing’s revenues, despite continued problems with its 787 and 747-8 aircraft programs.
Aircraft sales rebounded strongly from 2009, when Boeing gained just 142 net orders and scrambled to help airline customers obtain financing and to prevent them from canceling orders.
Boeing’s delivery total declined from the 481 commercial aircraft it provided to customers during 2009 as it ramped up production early in the year to compensate for a machinist’s union strike that brought its factories to a halt during the fall of 2008.
Boeing’s deliveries should continue to rise in 2011 as the company raises production rates for its popular next generation 737 and widebody 777 aircraft, moves that will generate cash.
For investors, the bigger question is when initial deliveries will finally begin for the much-delayed 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 jumbo jets, both of which are expected to make their commercial debuts this year after running years behind schedule.
The next day, head north on Hwy 1, till it cuts inland and rejoins Hwy 101. Head for the Requa Inn, a former logging hotel turned BB, smack dab in the middle of Redwood National Park, high on the bluffs above the mouth of the Klamath River. Gorgeous.