Boeing must turn its fortunes around this year to avoid falling further behind Airbus, which plans a production increase as it fixes its supply chain.

Boeing's 2024 deliveries fell by about a third from a year earlier to 348 airplanes. The company's delivery gap with rival Airbus widened as the European plane maker handed over 766 jetliners. Boeing struggled to ramp up production and deliveries due to a midair door plug blowout in January 2024 and then a machinist strike in the fall.

Airbus (AIR) delivered more than twice as many commercial planes as rival Boeing (BA) in 2024, as the latter struggled amid a flurry of controversies and technical issues.

Boeing delivered less than half the number of commercial aircraft to customers than its European rival in 2024, The American aerospace giant reported on Tuesday that it supplied 348 jetliners during the year.

Deliveries of new Boeing jets bounced back in December after a crippling labor strike that slowed production last fall, but the company's annual deliveries dropped in 2024 to the lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boeing Co. delivered the fewest jets last year since the pandemic as the planemaker worked to restore confidence in its manufacturing after a turbulent year that included a two-month long strike and production curbs following a near-catastrophe.