Aircraft maker, Boeing, posted an 84 per cent drop in quarterly profit on charges related to two aircraft programmes, but it beat forecasts and said it sees stronger growth through 2006.
Boeing, which is battling to regain dominance of the commercial airliner market from Europe's Airbus, also forecast 2005 earnings generally in line with the range of Wall Street analysts' estimates.
The Chicago-based maker of commercial and military jets posted a fourth-quarter profit of $186 million after the charges and a surprise one-off gain compared with $1.13 billion a year earlier.
Boeing took for the planned shutdown of its 717 short-haul airliner programme and the cancellation of a US Air Force order for aerial refueling tankers.
The planemaker maintained its forecast for 320 commercial aircraft deliveries this year, up from 285 in 2004, and forecast deliveries would grow to 375-385 planes in 2006.