Boeing 2025 delivery targets within reach as ramp gathers pace

Boeing 737 Max

Boeing 2025 delivery targets now look firmly achievable as the US airframer accelerates its recovery in commercial programmes. Third-quarter deliveries rose by 38pc year on year to 160 aircraft, led by stronger output of 737 MAX and 787 jets. Shipments of the 737 MAX increased by 32pc to 121 units, while 787 Dreamliner deliveries jumped 71pc to 24 aircraft in the same period. As a result, Boeing only needs to deliver 70 additional 737s and 19 more 787s in the remaining months to meet full-year guidance of around 400 and 80 units. This performance contrasts sharply with last year, when operational disruptions and a labour strike in the Pacific Northwest heavily constrained output and undermined confidence.

Backlog growth, titanium strategy and Boeing 2025 delivery targets

Boeing 2025 delivery targets are backed by a deep order pipeline and cautious material planning. The company booked 153 gross orders in the third quarter, its lowest quarterly intake this year, but still expanded its backlog to 6,579 aircraft by 30 September. That backlog represents more than a decade of future work and underpins long-term demand for metals and components across the aerospace supply chain. Boeing has kept its goal of lifting 737 production to 42 jets per month, pending regulatory approval to increase build rates further. Meanwhile, the airframer plans to moderate its titanium inventory burn over the next three to five years, aiming to “keep everybody running” and avoid destabilising key suppliers. This approach implies Boeing’s titanium demand will be broadly flat in 2026, giving mills and forgers critical visibility.

Competitive dynamics with Airbus and implications for titanium demand

Boeing 2025 delivery targets also sit within a wider competitive landscape where Airbus is managing a different titanium cycle. Airbus has forecast a contraction in its titanium demand next year as it aggressively destocks before a planned rebound in 2027. The European airframer has delivered 507 commercial aircraft so far this year and must hand over a further 313 units to reach its full-year target. As a result, titanium mills, service centres and scrap processors face diverging signals from the two largest OEMs. Boeing’s flattish titanium demand profile for 2026 contrasts with Airbus’ sharper destocking path, complicating planning for producers already wrestling with elevated inventories and uneven order flows. For upstream titanium suppliers, the combination of steady Boeing pull and weaker Airbus offtake may reinforce regional imbalances between US and European markets.

The Metalnomist Commentary

Boeing 2025 delivery targets increasingly look like a credible floor, not a stretch, which should reassure metals suppliers planning capacity and inventory. Yet the split between Boeing’s steady titanium strategy and Airbus’ planned destocking underscores how fragile visibility remains across the titanium value chain. For mills, master-melt operators and recyclers, granular alignment with each OEM’s build profile will matter more than headline delivery numbers over the next two years.