CHICAGO (AP) – Boeing Co. said its customers ordered just 142 commercial airplanes last year as the recession forced airlines to shrink.

The net total reported on Thursday was Boeing's lowest since at least 2003 and just one-tenth of the 1,413 orders in 2007.

Meanwhile, Boeing delivered 481 commercial planes last year, up 28 percent after a massive strike in 2008 slowed production.
Boeing had predicted 480 to 485 deliveries for the year.

The deliveries were "a solid achievement,'' wrote Jeffries & Co. analyst Howard A. Rubel, an achievement he said was not adequately valued by investors.

Boeing delivered four more widebodies than he had expected and three fewer 737s. By delivering more of the higher-priced widebodies, as well as setting an annual record by delivering 88 of its 777s, "the results were a slightly richer mix than we had expected.''

The biggest seller was Boeing's workhorse 737. The company delivered 372 of those last year, and has orders for another 2,076.

Boeing's total backlog for all commercial aircraft is 3,375 planes.

The big issue for Boeing has been its 787, a new widebody long-range jet that flew for the first time last month _ more than two years late. Boeing got through December without any additional 787 cancellations, and finished the year with 83 net cancellations.

Boeing said it has orders for 851 of the planes, and it expects to begin deliveries by the end of this year.

The company expects to provide commercial airplane delivery guidance for 2010 on Jan. 27, when it reports fourth-quarter financial results.