CEO: Boeing on track with 2026 plan, building trust

By staying focused on safety and quality, Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company is continuing to execute the business plan for the year and building trust with “better performance, better production.”

“This was a real solid quarter for us in terms of execution,” Ortberg told CNBC Tuesday in a live interview. “We’re ramping up production just as we planned. That’s driving higher revenues and improved cash flow.”

While the company is making progress, Ortberg said there’s more work ahead to ramp up production, complete commercial airplane certifications and uphold customer commitments to strengthen the company’s financial outlook.

Completing certifications: Ortberg said Boeing expects to soon receive 737-7 certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration followed by 737-10 certification.  

“We’ve completed all the flight testing on both of those -- 737-7 and 737-10,” Ortberg said. “Those airplanes make up an important part of our backlog, so that we can start delivering those aircraft in 2027.”

On 777-9, Ortberg said the team continues working towards certification, with first delivery planned in 2027. He added there’s “super strong” demand for the airplane, and he expects the backlog to grow once it’s certified.  

Fixed-price defense program progress: To keep the VC-25B program on schedule, Boeing is investing significant resources to support the build and test schedule for a 2028 delivery.

“The good news is we’re through the design phase of that program and now we’re modifying and testing the airplanes,” Ortberg said.

While adding fixed-price programs are ‘never done until they’re done,’ Ortberg said Boeing reached several milestones with the T-7 and MQ-25 programs securing approval to begin low-rate initial production during the quarter.