Boeing's first-half deliveries up 7 percent, orders surge past Airbus

By Ankit Ajmera and Eric M. Johnson

(Reuters) - Boeing Co's first-half aircraft deliveries rose more than 7 percent, lifted by demand for its bestselling 737 jetliners as airlines seek more fuel-efficient planes, and orders were more than double those of European rival Airbus SE .

The announcement on Tuesday caps a successful half year for the world's largest planemaker and comes a week ahead of the biannual Farnborough Airshow in Britain, where airlines typically place orders.

Chicago-based Boeing had 460 net aircraft orders in the first half of 2018, compared with Airbus's 206, rebounding after losing that race to Airbus last year.

Deliveries are financially important to planemakers because that's when airlines pay over most of the money, while orders give a better glimpse of planemakers' prospects.

Boeing said its in-house financing arm, Boeing Capital Corporation, acquired 75 single-aisle 737s for an unnamed buyer, indicating Boeing had to help arrange financing to close the deal.

Such deals do not typically stay on Boeing's balance sheet but would be sold on to other lessors. Boeing declined to name the underlying customer involved.

Boeing has said it aims to ship between 810 and 815 commercial aircraft in 2018, as much as 6.8 percent more than the industry-record 763 jets it delivered in 2017, putting it ahead of Airbus for the sixth year in a row. Airbus forecasts delivering around 800 planes in general for 2018.

Boeing said first-half deliveries rose 7.4 percent to 378 aircraft, led by higher demand for its single-aisle 737 jetliners. Deliveries have been fuelled by strong demand from airlines that are enjoying booming passenger travel.

Airbus delivered 303 aircraft in the first half, down about 1 percent from a year earlier.

Boeing shares were up 1.5 percent at $347.16 in afternoon trading.

The Farnborough Airshow, held every other year in alternation with Paris, kicks off July 16 outside London. Global planemakers could reap 900 orders and commitments from the show, down just slightly from last year's event, as strong oil prices prompt airlines to top up orders for fuel-efficient narrowbody models, aviation consultancy IBA Group said.

On average, the summer jamborees account for 30 percent of annual commercial business, according to IBA.

Industry sources say Airbus looked close to winning an inaugural order for its newly acquired Canadian CSeries from U.S. carrier JetBlue Airways Corp , as it prepares to broaden its battle with Boeing for jet sales.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru, Eric M. Johnson in Seattle, and Tim Hepher in Paris; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Jeffrey Benkoe)