Boeing’s Max cancellations worsen on shrinking Air Canada deal

Boeing Co.’s beleaguered 737 Max absorbed another blow as Air Canada chopped an order for the grounded aircraft by 11 jets, or 18% of the original deal.

The Canadian carrier still has 26 of the planes on order, according to data released Wednesday on Boeing’s website for the month of February. That’s in addition to the 24 Max that Air Canada received before regulators banned the jetliner from commercial flight after two fatal accidents.

Air Canada’s shrinking appetite underscores the rising risk of cancellations for the Max, which could worsen as the coronavirus outbreak upends global traval and saps demand for new jets. Aircraft contracts typically allow buyers to scrap an order when delivery has been delayed by a year or more. That gives airlines leverage to renegotiate deals and seek concessions as the worldwide grounding of the Max reaches its first anniversary Friday.

Boeing extended declines after the Air Canada news, tumbling 12% to $204.16 at 11:56 a.m. in New York. That was the biggest drop on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The shares fell earlier in the session after Bloomberg News reported that Boeing is planning to draw down the remainder of a recent $13.8 billion loan as it stockpiles capital amid the virus outbreak.

Air Canada sank 12% to C$27.47.

In February, Boeing landed 18 gross orders, all but one for its 787 Dreamliner. The company also had 46 cancellations as airlines adjust fleet plans. Japan Investment Adviser announced last month that it was canceling a deal for 10 Max.

While Boeing is working to recertify the Max later this year, it also needs to revamp delivery schedules since it will produce fewer of the jets than originally planned over the next two years. Once the grounding is lifted, the company will restart its 737 production slowly and gradually build back to pre-crash rates.

Persian Gulf discounter Flydubai is seeking concessions from Boeing on price and delivery schedules for its 251-plane order, valued at about $30 billion before customary discounts, said a person familiar with the matter.

The talks are wrapped into compensation negotiations that had yielded around $250 million for Flydubai through February, the person said, asking not to be identified discussing private deliberations. Boeing declined to comment on the talks.

Dreamliner Deals

Boeing has been urging customers to swap the narrow-body models for its marquee Dreamliner, a twin-aisle jet designed to cruise from Chicago to Sydney.

Oman Air converted 10 of its Max on order into a deal for four Dreamliners, according to the February data. Air Lease Corp. is exchanging eight Max for three of the wide-body models, the second time it has struck a deal with Boeing to revamp orders.

The 787 is a critical source of cash for Boeing as it works to resume Max deliveries, which have been halted since the grounding. Boeing delivered 17 aircraft last month, 12 of them Dreamliners.

Airbus SE, Boeing’s European rival, didn’t notch any orders last month.