BBC News has reported the aircraft manufacturer only made 54 net orders, including cancellations, for the whole of 2019 – down on 893 the previous year. 

Boeing is no longer the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer and is now second to Airbus, which made 863 deliveries in 2019, 8% higher than in 2018.

This comes as Boeing announced it would halt production of its 737 Max in December because two crashes had been linked with the model in five months.

In October 2018, a Lion Air flight killed all 189 people onboard when it plunged into the Java Sea, and in March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed en route to Nairobi, also with no survivors.

Boeing’s chief executive Dennis Muilenburg stepped down from his position in December last year after the company’s directors decided it was "necessary to restore confidence" in the company.

In an email to all employees sent on 13 January, new president and chief executive David Calhoun said: "This is a crucial time for Boeing. We have work to do to uphold our values and to build on our strengths.

"I see greatness in this company, but I also see opportunities to be better. Much better.

"That includes engaging one another and our stakeholders with greater transparency, holding ourselves accountable to the highest standards of safety and quality, and incorporating outside-in perspective on what we do and how we do it."

He said "learnings" from the past 18 months had been "painful", and the company’s primary focus is to safely return the 737 Max to service.