May 14 (Reuters) - Boeing ( BA ) said on Tuesday it

delivered 24 commercial airplanes last month, down by two from

the 26 planes it handed over to customers during a weak April

for deliveries a year ago, as the U.S. planemaker works to

improve production of its 737 MAX.

Boeing ( BA ) also reported 33 cancellations for the month, due

largely to Canadian budget carrier Lynx Air's ceasing

operations, which accounted for 29 of the planes, Boeing ( BA ) said.

Boeing ( BA ) has said it is producing fewer MAX single-aisle jets

to improve manufacturing quality after the Jan. 5 mid-air

blowout of a door plug on a 737 MAX 9 jet brought the U.S.

planemaker under increased scrutiny from regulators.

The planemaker said it delivered 16 MAX jets, down one from

the same month in 2023, when deliveries were impacted by a

supplier's manufacturing defect.

Reuters reported in April that Boeing's ( BA ) monthly output rate

fell as low as single digits in late March, well below a Federal

Aviation Administration-imposed (FAA) cap of 38 jets a month.

Aircraft deliveries are closely watched by Wall Street

because planemakers are able to collect the majority of their

money when they hand over jets to customers.

Boeing ( BA ) also said it had taken seven gross new orders in

April. That brings Boeing's ( BA ) gross order total so far this year

to 138.

After removing cancellations and conversions, Boeing ( BA ) posted

a net total of 100 orders since the start of 2024.

After further accounting adjustments to reflect the quality

of the backlog, Boeing ( BA ) reported adjusted net orders of 127

airplanes so far this year.

Boeing's ( BA ) backlog declined from 5,668 to 5,646 as of April

30.

Earlier this month, Boeing's ( BA ) European rival Airbus

said it delivered 61 aircraft in April, up 13% from the same

month of 2023, bringing deliveries so far this year to 203.