Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co., the world's second- biggest aircraft maker, is reviewing production levels as a ``more difficult'' time for airlines means the manufacturer needs to closely monitor demand.

``It's clear that times are more difficult,'' Randy Tinseth, marketing director for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said today at a briefing in Paris. ``It's clearly a very dynamic situation. We're all working to best understand all the things that are happening in the marketplace.''

Boeing has been targeting 475 to 480 deliveries in 2008, compared with 441 last year, and an increase to as many as 505 airliners in 2009. The Chicago-based manufacturer has said it will alter plans if passenger traffic growth slows dramatically and tight credit affects demand for new planes.

Banks such as Societe Generale have said in recent weeks that aircraft financing will be tougher in 2009. Industry executives including the chiefs of International Lease Finance Corp. and CIT Group, which buy planes and lease them to carriers, have called on Airbus SAS, Boeing's primary rival, to trim production plans as travel growth slows.

Tinseth declined to comment on projections, saying Boeing will address questions about its forecasts as the company announces earnings on Oct. 22. Boeing also will talk about its timetable for the long-range 787 Dreamliner on that date, he said. Boeing factories have been idle since Sept. 6 because of a strike by machinists.

Financing Assistance

Boeing is prepared to consider helping airlines finance planes, Tinseth said, though no requests have been fielded. ``We see as we look at 2009 that we'll probably have to step in to do some financing of aircraft,'' he said.

``The situation in the credit markets started last April, and in that time, to date it's had very little impact in terms of our marketplace,'' he said. ``That reflects well on the fact that lease rates have remained high, residual values have remained high and it's an asset that has performed well.''

The last time Boeing had to assist an airline in financing a delivery was in 2006, he said. Carriers usually have loans set six to nine months in advance.

Airbus is targeting deliveries of 470 planes this year, up from 434 last year, and has been planning to further increase deliveries in 2010 as it moves to build 11 percent more single- aisle planes a month by 2010, and 38 percent more twin-aisle models. The Airbus target is 40 single aisle planes and 11 widebody planes monthly by 2010.

Airbus, a division of European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co., is the world's largest planemaker and Boeing's only competition for building aircraft that seat more than 100 people.

Toulouse, France-based Airbus has said it's sticking with production schedules and has a backlog of 3,800 planes. Boeing's backlog is about 3,600 aircraft, Tinseth said today. The company maintains ``overbookings,'' meaning it has a margin for cancellations or deferrals.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andrea Rothman in Paris at aerothman@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 14, 2008 07:51 EDT