Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Scott Carson believes economic recovery is in sight. “It feels like we’re bouncing off the bottom,” he said at the Paris Air Show. Citing the latest economic data that Boeing tracks, he said: “It feels to us like the middle of next year is when we will see growth return to the industry.”

Speaking specifically about changes to the production rates for its freighter products, Carson said, “the next six months will be incredibly important to us as we watch to see if inventory rebuilding begins, which I believe it will, and whether it is maritime or air freight. If that takes place with air freight then it feels like we can manage the risks there.”

The airframer’s near-term outlook for commercial aircraft is less rosy however, with Carson conceding that the industry faces “a different year” in 2009 to the boom times that preceded it which enabled Boeing to build a backlog worth US$265 billion.

So far in 2009 Boeing has booked 73 new orders, but suffered 66 cancellations – mainly for the 787 – putting its netsales tally at just seven aircraft.