Boeing's Big Year (BA)

With all of the fanfare about Boeing’s recent successe it is hard to believe that 2006 will be the first year that it has outsold rival Airbus.

Boeing should ship over 900 planes this year compared to Airbus’s 700. Delays in the Airbus super-jumbo 380 have not helped the European company. Sales of Boeings 777 Freighter and an uptick in 747 orders have helped the company.

But, Boeing’s lead may not last. The Airbus 380 is coming online now, and the plane does carry a passenger load much larger than the new 747-8. And, sales of the Airbus 320 have started to pick up. In November, most of the Airbus planes sold were 320s.

Boeing’s stock has stepped up nicely due to both commercial and military orders, but it now sits at close to $90. Just under two years ago, it was below $50.

It may not take much of a resurgence at Airbus to stop the upward movement in Boeing’s shares.

Douglas A. McIntyre can be reached at [email protected]. He does not own securities in companies that he writes about.