Boeing reported its second-biggest annual loss after safety issues and strikes plunged it into crisis, writes Jessica Clark.

The American plane maker’s losses ballooned to €11.35bn in 2024 – the worst performance since it tumbled £9.6bn into the red when flights were grounded at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

And it was 81pc – or €9.2bn – more than the €2.15bn loss it recorded a year earlier.

The latest figures revealed yesterday highlight the challenge facing boss Kelly Ortberg after he was appointed in August last year.

A seven-week strike by Boeing workers last autumn caused a dramatic slowdown at its factories.

A huge controversy over the jet maker’s safety record after a door panel was ripped off mid-flight at 16,000 ft last year also had an impact.

That followed two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max planes in 2018 and 2019 in which 346 people died. Ortberg said: “We made progress on key areas to stabilise our operations during the quarter and continued to strengthen important aspects of our safety and quality plan.”