June 11 (Reuters) - Boeing ( BA ) said on Tuesday it

delivered 24 commercial planes in May, about half of the 50 jets

it handed over to customers during the same month a year

earlier, as it continued operating a slower assembly line to

complete outstanding work.

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 19 MAX jets in May, three

more than in April, but down 45% from the 35 jets it handed over

to customers during the same month in 2023.

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

to 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

payment when they hand over jets to customers.

Boeing ( BA ) also said it had taken four gross new orders in May,

all 787-10 Dreamliners for Eva Air. That brings Boeing's ( BA ) gross

order total so far this year to 142.

After removing cancellations and conversions, Boeing ( BA ) posted

a net total of 103 orders since the start of 2024.

After further accounting adjustments to reflect the quality

of the backlog, Boeing ( BA ) reported adjusted net orders of 130

airplanes so far this year.

Boeing's ( BA ) backlog declined from 5,646 to 5,625 as of May 31.

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

said it delivered 53 aircraft in May, down 16% from the same

month of 2023, bringing deliveries so far this year to 256.