Boeing confident it can meet rising demand

[SINGAPORE] Boeing remains confident it can deliver on its orders as airlines phase out older aircraft in favour of more efficient, next-generation planes.

"There's a good balance between supply and demand at this point in time. We're comfortable with the backlog that we have, the customer sets that we have," said John Wojick, senior vice-president of global sales (commercial) for Boeing, yesterday.

"An awful lot of demand is replacement of existing fleets that are not as efficient as the ones we're producing today," he said, adding that upcoming planes such as the single-aisle 737 MAX and the 777X will be even more efficient. With fuel prices remaining high by historical standards, airlines are placing orders for next-generation aircraft - which burn less fuel - farther out than before.