Boeing Company delivered fewer airplanes in 2008 compared to the previous year due to a crippling strike, and the aerospace giant took new orders for less than half the number of airplanes as a year before, making rival Airbus the biggest-selling airplane maker and signaling an end to a three-year boom in commercial airliner sales. Airplane deliveries, which have a greater impact on the company's immediate financial performance, fell 15 percent to 375 in 2008, mainly due to a strike by Boeing machinists that halted production lines for nearly two months. In 2007, Boeing delivered 441 jetliners. The company took orders for 662 commercial airplanes in 2008, a 53 percent decline from the previous year. Last year was the first since 2004 that Boeing recorded fewer than 1,000 orders. In 2007, it set an industry record of 1,413 orders, helped by ambitious Middle Eastern and Asian airlines seeking to expand their fleets. Even without the work stoppage caused by the strike, demand for Boeing aircraft slowed after the summer because of the global economic downturn, which lowered the number of air travelers and forced airlines to reduce flights. Boeing still has a record backlog of orders due to strong demand from before the economic crisis, when carriers hoped to update their older, less fuel-efficient aircraft. But with the global economy worsening, many airlines have delayed or considered canceling orders.
