Boeing Reports Annual Loss Of $636m, First In More Than Two Decades

Boeing reported its first annual loss in more than two decades on Wednesday as the lengthy grounding of the 737 MAX undercut the company’s revenues and exploded costs.

The aerospace giant reported a $1.0 billion loss in the fourth quarter and a loss of $636 million for all of 2019, the company’s first year in the red since 1997.

Newly-installed Chief Executive David Calhoun, who took the reins this month to stabilize the situation, pledged to turn the company around even as Boeing disclosed $9.2 billion in new costs connected to the MAX.

Some analysts had expected new costs twice as high, and despite the hefty charges, Boeing shares rallied early Wednesday in pre-market.

The MAX has been grounded since March following two crashes that killed 346 people which opened the doors to intense scrutiny of Boeing’s safety practices — and regulatory oversight of its productions — as well bruising congressional investigations which have revealed a troublesome culture at the aviation giant.

“We are committed to transparency and excellence in everything we do,” Calhoun said in a statement. “Safety will underwrite every decision, every action and every step we take as we move forward.”

Calhoun has been at the helm of Boeing only since January 13 after Dennis Muilenburg was ousted in December following criticism of his handling of the crisis, and immediately after damning series of internal communications were released.

Calhoun is targeting mid-2020 to win approval from aviation regulators to resume flights on the MAX, which is seen as a more realistic timeframe after Muilenburg repeatedly pushed a more optimistic schedule.