Boeing said on Tuesday its deliveries fell about 37 per cent to 239 planes in the first half of 2019, hurt by the grounding of its best-selling 737 MAX jets, putting it on track to lose the world’s biggest planemaker title after eight years.

Boeing’s deliveries lagged those of European rival Airbus, which handed over as many as 389 planes in the same period, up 28 per cent from a year earlier, according to sources.

A new problem identified with the grounded MAX jets last month has delayed the aircraft’s entry into service until at least the end of September, disrupting schedules for airline operators and possibly adding to costs for Boeing.

The American planemaker’s net orders for the first six months was in the negative, with a total of minus 119 net orders. Boeing had minus 125 net orders as of the end of May.

Deliveries of the MAX aircraft were stopped in March, a few days after an Ethiopian Airlines crash killed all 157 people on board. Since then, Boeing has not reported any new order for the MAX planes.

Last month, British Airways-owner IAG signed a letter of intent to order 200 MAXs.