SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing said on Tuesday it delivered 44 aircraft in February, up from 27 in the same month a year ago, as it works to stabilize and then increase production of its 737 MAX and 787 models.

It was only slightly behind January when the planemaker's 45 deliveries were the company's best for a single month since 2023.

In February, Boeing's deliveries included 32 of its best-selling 737 MAX single-aisle jets and five 787 widebody planes.

Aircraft deliveries are closely watched by Wall Street because planemakers collect the majority of their payment when they hand over jets to customers.

The U.S. planemaker booked 13 gross orders, plus eight cancellations, for a net total of five orders in February.

The 13 new orders were all for 737 MAX jets.

Included among them was an order by Singapore-based lessor BOC Aviation for five MAX planes, which it plans to lease to Dominican Republic-based carrier Arajet, which canceled its own order for five MAXs.

The cancellations included Florida-based cargo carrier Western Global Airlines abandoning orders for two 777 freighters.  

Through the first two months of the year, Boeing booked 41 net orders, compared to 65 net orders for its European rival Airbus.