Boeing Stock Pops as Its ‘Best Sales Person’ Lands Another Order

Turkish Airlines announced an order for 75 more 787 jets on Thursday. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Key Points

• Turkish Airlines agreed to purchase 75 Boeing 787 twin-aisle jets and up to 150 smaller 737 MAX single-aisle jets.
• Boeing’s stock increased by 4.2% to $222.54, with a year-to-date gain of 21%, despite a 9% drop in September.
• Boeing has 6,500+ unfilled orders and delivered fewer than 350 planes in 2024, with 580 deliveries projected for 2025.

President Donald Trump is becoming one of Boeing’s best sales advocates.

Thursday, Turkish Airlines agreed to purchase 75 Boeing 787 twin-aisle jets and up to 150 smaller 737 MAX single-aisle jets. The order and intent to purchase came after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met with Trump at the White House on Thursday.

Separately on Thursday, Boeing announced a new order for 30 737 MAX jets from Norwegian Group.

Boeing is a large U.S. exporter, and the president has helped win new orders from the U.K., Korea, and Japan as part of his trade negotiations.

Shares of the commercial jet maker gained 3.6%, closing at $221.26, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average added were up 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively.

Boeing stock was also helped by a decision by the Federal Aviation Administration to delegate the authority for 737 MAX final safety checks back to Boeing. It’s a sign that Boeing’s production system, which came under fire after an emergency door plug blew out of a 737 MAX jet while in flight in January 2024, is improving.

The FAA allows Boeing to make 38 MAX jets a month. Investors expect that to move up to 42 a month by the end of the year. The decision to increase the production cap is separate from the safety check authority.

“Safety drives everything we do, and the FAA continues to conduct rigorous oversight of Boeing’s production processes,” said the agency. “If Boeing requests a production rate increase, onsite FAA safety inspectors will conduct extensive planning and reviews with Boeing to determine if they can safely produce more airplanes. Our heightened level of oversight of Boeing will continue.”

Coming into Friday trading, Boeing’s stock is up 21% year to date. However, shares are down about 9% in September, which is historically a weak month for shares.

Investors might be concerned with delays for Boeing’s huge 777X jet. The plane hasn’t been certified by aviation regulators, and initial deliveries could slip from late 2026 into 2027. Delays could result in financial charges, with airlines looking for compensation.

Through August, Boeing had amassed firm orders for 725 jets, up from 250 over the same span in 2024. Boeing has unfilled orders for more than 6,500 jets.

Now, Boeing needs to build the jets. Boeing delivered fewer than 350 planes in 2024 as quality problems constrained 737 MAX production. Wall Street projects about 580 deliveries for 2025 and 675 deliveries for 2026.

Boeing delivered more than 800 planes in 2018. Analysts see Boeing surpassing that number in 2028.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com