Boeing exceeds 2015 target to beat Airbus

Boeing Co said yesterday that it delivered 762 jetliners in 2015, exceeding its target of 755 to 760 planes as the company enters its centenary year.

Boeing further said it booked 768 net firm jetliner orders amounting to $112.4 billion in 2015, which saw its year-end backlog swell to 5,795 planes, in line with its forecast of booking sales that roughly matched deliveries in 2015.

But that did not stop the company's stock being caught in a broad market sell-off triggered by the prospect of slower global growth, originating partly from China, say analysts.

Boeing stock was suffered the most among companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, down 3.9 per cent at $133.45 in afternoon New York Stock Exchange trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 2.1 per cent.

The dip reflected concern about economic weakness in Asia and "the effect that could have on an industrial cyclical stock like Boeing," according to Peter Arment, analyst at Sterne Agee in New York, Reuters reported.

Ray Conner, vice chairman of The Boeing Company and president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes said the company aimed to stay focused on "getting our products to our customers as quickly and efficiently as possible."

With the record output, Boeing beat Airbus to secure its position as the top airplane maker in the world for another year.

Boeing delivered 787 Dreamliners in 2015, 44 of them made in North Charleston, South Carolina according to Uresh Sheth, who tracks 787 production jet-by-jet on the All Things 787 blog, The Seattle Times reported.

The remaining 718 aircraft rolled out of Boeing's Puget Sound-area factories in Washington.

The Renton, Washington, facility delivered 495 single-aisle 737s, 10 more than last year and another record.

At the Everett facility, 91 Dreamliners were built, plus 98 large widebody 777 jets, 16 mid-size widebody 767 jets and 18 jumbo jet 747s.

Airbus would release final delivery figures next, however, it was clear the figure would not approach Boeing's tally, as its production lagged Boeing's by more than 150 deliveries at the beginning of December.