By Dan Catchpole
SEATTLE, July 28 (Reuters) - Boeing on Tuesday reported a larger-than-expected quarterly loss after taking a $280 million charge on its troubled Air Force One replacement program, but generated positive free cash flow as its turnaround plans gained momentum.
It took the charge due to higher engineering costs to ensure it delivers the two delayed U.S. presidential plane replacements in 2028, contributing to a $428 million net loss for the second quarter.
The core loss per share of 76
cents was worse than analysts' average expected loss per share of 30 cents, according to LSEG data, though narrower than the $1.24 per share core loss in the same period last year.
Despite the losses, Boeing recorded $631 million of free cash flow, compared to a negative $200 million during the second quarter of 2025. The cash flow bump was due in part to higher customer payments than anticipated, according to the company.
The U.S. planemaker is maintaining its guidance of $1 billion to $3 billion in free cash flow for the year, which would be its first positive result since 2023, as it increases production of its best-selling 737 MAX narrow-body jets.
Boeing also increased capital investments in the quarter compared to last year, due largely to expanding capabilities for 787 production in South Carolina and military jet production in the St. Louis, Missouri, area.
The planemaker is also working to deliver two 747-8 jets to serve as Air Force One under a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract signed in 2018 that is now four years behind schedule and more than $1 billion over budget.
U.S. President Donald Trump accepted a Qatari-donated 747-8 jet that is serving as an Air Force One plane in the meantime, though he said this month it would soon be sent away for upgrades following questions about its security features.
(Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Editing by Jamie Freed)
