Boeing delivered a record 648 commercial jetliners last year, including 65 of its newest 787s and also had a record backlog of 5,080 unfulfilled orders.
The 2013 deliveries were expected to keep Boeing in the No. 1 slot for the second year, nudging out rival Airbus, which is expecting to report 620 deliveries.
"The Boeing team performed extremely well in 2013," CEO Ray Conner said.
"We delivered more advanced, fuel-efficient airplanes to our customers than ever before, and it's a great example of what our team can accomplish," he said in a statement.
The company said it delivered 440 next-generation 737s and 98 long-haul 777s.
The 787 was grounded last January and deliveries were halted after a fire aboard one of the planes operated by Japan Airlines on the tarmac in Boston. That problem was eventually traced to an overheating lithium-ion battery. The aircraft was not certified to fly again until April.
Reuters reports:
"Boeing's delivery tally beat its forecast of up to 645 jets for the year and was 7.8 percent higher than last year's total."