Boeing’s strong revenue growth overshadowed by $5 billion charge on 777X
Boeing’s third-quarter results point to signs of improving productivity, with revenue reaching $23.2 billion, up 30% from the same period last year. For the first nine months…
October 29, 2025
Boeing’s third-quarter results point to signs of improving productivity, with revenue reaching $23.2 billion, up 30% from the same period last year. For the first nine months of 2025, Boeing secured revenues of almost $66 billion, 28% more than in 2024.
However, the overall balance sheet was negative, due to an almost $5 billion hit from the delayed progress of the 777X programme.
The first Boeing 777X should have been delivered in 2020, but the date has been repeatedly pushed back as the OEM grappled with other issues. Now, the first of the new widebody jets is not expected until 2027, further delaying entry into service for its launch customers.
Boeing posted a net loss of $5.34 billion in the quarter and anticipates continued losses through 2025 as it works to return to production stability.
777X delays cost Boeing billions
Boeing’s new widebody aircraft¨ has been a long time coming. Flight testing resumed in January, having been suspended while the company worked through some issues. A key hurdle involved the redesign of the engine to wing thrust link, which had caused cracking on the test fleet and required correction before flight testing could continue.
With that problem resolved, testing has recommenced, but Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg stressed last month that there was still a ‘mountain of work’ to be done towards certifying the aircraft. Considering this mountain, the company disclosed a further push back to the schedule in early October.
“During the quarter, the company updated its assessment of the 777-9 certification timeline and now anticipates first delivery in 2027, resulting in a pre-tax earnings charge of $4.9 billion.”
The charge reflects higher estimated costs from the extended schedule, ongoing certification work, and supply-chain and re-engineering expenses. Delayed certification means delayed revenue from the aircraft, so the 777X is set to be something of a money pit for many months to come.
Ortberg said he was ‘disappointed’ with the 777X schedule delay, but added that “the airplane continues to perform well in flight testing.”
This latest charge adds to a long series of cost revisions. According to Reuters, to date, the planemaker has taken around $15 billion in charges related to this aircraft.
Progress with the Boeing 737 MAX programme
Although the overall result was a loss, there are some bright spots in Boeing’s Q3 results.
Boeing delivered 160 commercial aircraft in the quarter, up from just 116 last year, and the most in the quarter since 2018. Year-to-date, it has handed over 440 aircraft.
Much of this growth has been driven by the stabilisation of the 737 MAX production line, which is now turning out new aircraft at a consistent 38 per month. Boeing and the FAA agreed in October to allow a gradual increase in output to 42 aircraft per month, allowing the OEM to potentially deliver more aircraft in the final months of the year. In all, 119 737 MAX were delivered in Q3.
The 787 programme continued to produce aircraft at a rate of seven per month. During the quarter, 24 Dreamliners were delivered, including four to American Airlines, three to Etihad and two to Lufthansa.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes booked 161 orders in the quarter, including deals for 30 737 MAX for Norwegian and 50 Dreamliners for Turkish Airlines.
