Holy Cow, That's A Lotta Planes!

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 01.03.08 2300 EST: They waited until the absolute last minute... but Boeing made good on reports it would announce its 2007 sales total Thursday, and touted a mind-boggling net order total of 1,413 -- smashing the planemaker's previous record of 1,044 sales in 2006, and marking the third year in a row Boeing surpassed the 1,000-order mark.

We'll say it again. Holy cow.

"It has been another strong year for commercial aviation, and we are grateful for our customers' trust in our team, and our products and services," said master-of-understatement Scott Carson, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive officer. "We deeply appreciate the role we play in our customers' plans for growth and success, and we are focused on meeting our commitments."

In total, 80 different customers ordered Boeing airplanes in 2007, including passenger airlines, cargo carriers, leasing companies, and unidentified customers.

"2007 told us that global demand for commercial airplanes remains strong and sustained. And we've responded with what is clearly the strongest product lineup that we've ever had, from the Next-Generation 737 through the 747-8, 767, 777, and our newest family, the 787 Dreamliner," Carson said. "We are able to offer more new-technology airplanes to our customers than ever before, aircraft that are quieter and more fuel efficient, with significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions and reduced impact on local communities."

ANN will analyze Boeing's accomplishments in 2007 Friday... after our brains process this news...

Previous Report

1850 EST: We're on full-fledged 'Boeing Watch' at ANN, as the planemaker is poised to reveal its sales total for 2007 -- a figure that may top 1,400 net orders when the dust clears.

Boeing is reportedly scheduled to announce the figure Thursday, according to numerous news reports... but so far, there's been no word on the total from Seattle or Chicago. The planemaker did announce its delivery figure for 2007, however -- 441 commercial aircraft, a significant bump from its 2006 total of 398 aircraft delivered.

A full 330 of those planes delivered in 2007 were 737s, with 83 777 widebodies, 16 747s and 12 767s. The company delivered 112 planes in the fourth quarter, according to a Boeing statement.

While impressive, Boeing's delivery tally is unlikely to unseat European planemaker Airbus for the title of world's largest commercial aircraft producer. In 2006, Airbus delivered 434 planes -- and almost certainly topped that for 2007.

But that's not the big question on the minds of most airliner enthusiasts, and industry watchers... it's "Did Boeing top Airbus in orders for 2007?" We won't know the answer to that question until January 16, when Airbus announces its totals -- but we should see Boeing's cards in the very immediate future. Stay tuned... this is where the game gets fun.

Original Report

All the sudden, it's no longer quite as certain European planemaker Airbus will take the orders crown for 2007... as Boeing announced a slew of last-minute deals Wednesday, catapulting the American manufacturer's yearly net order numbers to nearly 1,400.

Boeing says it completed a 100-plane deal with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) just before the close of business December 31, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The planemaker also finalized deals with Vietnam Airlines for 12 787s -- taking that plane past the 800-orders mark, to 817 -- and Brazil's GOL confirmed it will order 40 more 737s, with options for 40 more.

The most recent numbers announced by Boeing -- on December 18 -- listed 1,213 net orders for the year. That already gave Boeing its best-ever sales year, bar none... but since then, Boeing has added even more, swelling its total to 1,398.

As for Airbus, it's most recent numbers show 1,204 gross orders -- including options and LOIs -- through the end of November. That does not include Airbus's own 100-plane deal with DAE, which was also likely finalized before the deadline.

Boeing is expected to reveal its final tally this week.  Airbus will release its official 2007 sales numbers on January 16.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.airbus.com