Orders for Boeing 787 Dreamliner by customer through December 31, 2020

Between January 1 and December 31, 2020, aerospace manufacturer Boeing received gross orders for only 29 Boeing 787 jets. Twelve orders belonged to the Japanese airliner All Nippon, one of the largest commercial airline companies in Japan.

China has become a large market for the Dreamliner

CALC Aircraft Assets Limited of China placed two orders for the 787 in 2019. That year, Boeing's 100th delivery of a 787 aircraft in China underpinned the jet's popularity with Chinese customers: Juneyao received its sixth Dreamliner delivery in November 2019. The first 787 entered China in 2013, according to Boeing. The U.S. aircraft manufacturing industry is largely dependent on exports to China, and hence Boeing is expected to benefit from a partial trade agreement between Washington and Beijing. The agreement was formalized in January 2020.

Profitability remains in question

A new Boeing 787 Dreamliner in 2020would set customers like Emirates, Lufthansa, or Korean Air back between 248 and 293 million U.S. dollars, depending on the specifications. The 787 program had aimed to produce aircraft very cost efficiently but, by 2011, the program had cost 32 billion U.S. dollars, and it would take 1,100 sales of the aircraft to break even. Some 859 units of the long-range, mid-size wide-body jet airliner have been delivered by September 2019. The fact that there have been many technical difficulties with the 787 Dreamliner has hit Boeing substantially. Pre-launch setbacks delayed the release of the aircraft and post-launch issues have even led to the grounding of the Dreamliner fleet. In 2013, all 787 flights were halted due to electrical problems related to battery fires. As a result, many airline companies have charged Boeing for loss of business from the failures of the 787. The long-term profitability of the 787 program remains in question. Additionally, the grounding and delayed production of the 737-MAX has also hit Boeing’s earnings.