Boeing announces orders for 23 planes

Boeing Thursday announced contracts for the sale of 23 aircraft, increasing its lead over Airbus in total orders for 2014.

All of the latest orders were for the Boeing 737, a smaller civilian plane that Boeing has touted for its fuel efficiency.

The US aerospace giant reached a deal to sell two planes to Panamanian company Copa Airlines.

The identities of customers for the other planes were not disclosed, according to Boeing”s website.

With the latest round of contracts, Boeing has reached agreements in 2014 to sell 941 planes. Earlier Thursday, European rival Airbus disclosed that it has garnered orders for 722 planes in 2014 so far.

Boeing sells its 737s for between 78.3 and 113.3 million, depending on the model. Based on those figures, the orders disclosed Thursday are worth 1.8-2.6 billion.

The 737 has been Boeing”s best-selling plane in 2014, accounting for 663 of the 941 aircraft sold since the start of the year.

Dow member Boeing finished 0.4 percent lower at 125.46