Stallholders at this year's Farnborough Air Show were either quiet or wet, or most likely both, but not Boeing. It fought back after last year's trouncing by Airbus in Paris, banking orders and commitments for 396 planes worth more than $37bn (£23.7bn) at list prices. And, if Boeing can ramp up production and get the dollars rolling in, shareholders could be in for a cash bonanza, too.
Boeing's new fuel-efficient short-haul jet, the 737 Max, attracted most attention at Farnborough. A 150-plane order from United Airlines valued at $14.7bn included 100 of them and took the total number of firm orders so far to 649. Boeing wants to build 42 of the current model each month in 2014. It's also making a dent in the 850-plus orders for the wide-body 787 Dreamliner. It must build five a month by the end of 2012 and double that next year to keep analysts happy. Watch for a progress report alongside second-quarter results on 25 July. Broker JPMorgan is forecasting EPS of $1.03, rising sequentially over the third and fourth quarters to give full-year earnings of $4.7 per share.
