Sharjah 24 – BNA: Boeing has reported a positive order balance in February, for the first time in over year, a positive sign for the US aircraft manufacturer after its ill-fated 737 MAX was recertified and with the coronavirus pandemic coming to an end.

Boeing said that it had received 82 new orders, which while offset by quite a few cancellations, left a bottom-line increase of 31 commercial aircraft. It's the first month since November 2019 that the company has reported more new orders than cancellations, Deutsche press agency (dpa) reported.

Among other factors, the company announced a major order from United Airlines for planes from its 737 MAX series in February. The model series was banned from flying for nearly two years after two crashes with a total of 346 deaths. It was only recertified in November.

Boeing's main rival, Airbus, on the other hand reported losing orders for 92 commercial aircraft last month. While it had brought in orders for 11 new jets, the overall balance was still far in the red.