Both manufacturers are contending with supply chain difficulties, making it unlikely they will meet their ambitious delivery targets for the year. For example, Airbus had planned to deliver 820 aircraft in 2025 but would need to average 82 deliveries per month for the rest of the year to achieve this goal.
Boeing's most popular model remains the 737 MAX, which accounted for nearly 80% of its order backlog of 4,634 aircraft as of May. In May alone, Boeing delivered 32 units of this model and exceeded April’s total production for the type.
Production rates indicate that both companies are struggling to reach their monthly targets due to ongoing supply chain constraints. Boeing’s current production rate is about 49 aircraft per month across all models; however, some models like the Boeing 777 surpassed expectations with five deliveries against a target of three for May.
The machinist strike that disrupted production ended in November last year, allowing Boeing to resume manufacturing operations by December. This resumption led to an increase in orders from airlines seeking new planes.
Despite delivering fewer airplanes than in previous years—348 units were delivered in 2024 compared to higher figures before—the global fleet includes thousands of Boeing-built jets. Estimates suggest there are between 10,000 and 12,000 civil Boeing aircraft currently flying worldwide. Including military platforms and those produced by acquired companies like McDonnell Douglas brings total estimates closer to or above 22,000 planes.
"Boeing Market outlook [...] [shows]20,000 airplanes are in service of which 12,000 are Boeing," according to one observer citing official company numbers.
"There are currently more than 10,000 commercial airplanes flying that were built by Boeing. Answering how many total airplanes were built by Boeing is a more difficult question to answer," another poster noted when referencing historical manufacturing data on various types including bombers and fighters absorbed through mergers.
Competition between Airbus and Boeing remains intense. Recent figures indicate Airbus leads slightly with larger backlogs: as of May-end Airbus had an overall backlog of over eight thousand jets while Boeing stood at around six thousand five hundred pending deliveries across its main models.
According to Flightplan analysis cited in the article above: "a huge 89.0% of the total Airbus backlog were A220 and A320 family aircraft" while "76.0% of Boeing's backlog were 737 MAXs." Both manufacturers benefit from advances in fuel efficiency technology driving demand for modern narrow-body jets capable of long-range flights at lower costs.
Backlog records show continued demand for both companies’ products despite setbacks; Airbus recently broke its all-time record with over eight thousand seven hundred jets on order late last year while Boeing also exceeded previous highs set last November.
Manufacturers like Boeing continue adapting their processes—including integrating technologies such as Augmented Reality—to streamline assembly lines amid persistent supply chain pressures.
"You may want to have a look at Boeing Market outlook. [...] 20,000 airplanes are in service of which 12,000 are Boeing."
"There are currently more than 10,000 commercial airplanes flying that were built by Boeing. Answering how many total airplanes were built by Boeing is a more difficult question to answer.[This Boeing website] shows a history of Boeing aircraft built..."
"Directly built you'd have to add varied designs... Then there are a number of fighter planes - mostly by firms absorbed/merged with 'Lazy B'."
Alerts Sign-up
