Published: Friday, December 28, 2012, 12:01 a.m.
By Michelle Dunlop, Herald Writer
The Boeing Co. didn't disappoint in 2012.
Not much, at least.
Boeing won't announce its final delivery and order numbers for 2012 until sometime in early January. But the Chicago-based aerospace company is expected to beat its European rival Airbus in both sales and jet deliveries.
Still, Boeing doesn't have much time to rest on its laurels with a challenging 2013 ahead.
Here are a few highlights from 2012 and a look to 2013:
787 and 747-8
After years of embarrassing delays on the 787 and 747-8, Boeing handed over the first 747-8 passenger plane and ramped up 787 production to a pace of five jets per month in 2012.
"They certainly met their delivery goals on the 787 and 747," said Scott Hamilton, an analyst with Issaquah-based Leeham Co.
The company planned to deliver between 70 and 85 aircraft among the 787-8 and 747-8 programs for the year. Boeing had delivered 62 by the end of November. And within a 24-hour period, Boeing handed over another seven 787s, Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for commercial airplanes, noted last week.
Boeing won't silence its doubters on the 787 program until the company meets its production goal of 10 787s per month, which is targeted for the end of 2013. That's a key milestone on the program's path to being profitable.
David E. Strauss, an aerospace analyst at UBS Financial Services, said in a note to investors this month that his analysis indicates Dreamliner production "costs are not declining rapidly enough for (Boeing) to come close to its target for break-even 787 cash flow by early 2015."
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