Airbus A320 surpasses Boeing 737 as world’s top-selling airliner

Competition between Airbus and Boeing has been close in recent years. However, Airbus achieved its delivery milestone in 37 years compared to Boeing's 58 years. By late September, Le Monde reported that the A320 had become the world’s best-selling commercial aircraft with over 12,250 deliveries. In comparison, Boeing had delivered just over 12,214 units of its 737 model as of August and did not surpass Airbus even after September’s deliveries due to production limits set by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In September alone, Reuters noted that Airbus produced around 73 A320 family aircraft while Boeing delivered only 38 units of its 737 MAX.

Airbus maintained its lead in global jet deliveries throughout 2024. The company delivered a total of 766 aircraft during the year. In contrast, Boeing’s output was lower at only 348 commercial jets.

Airbus increased its annual deliveries by about four percent compared to last year. Meanwhile, Boeing experienced a decrease in deliveries by roughly one-third due to manufacturing quality issues, disruptions from a machinists’ strike, supply chain bottlenecks, and incidents such as a door plug issue involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX earlier this year.

In previous years:

- In 2023: Airbus delivered 735 aircraft; Boeing delivered 528.

- In 2022: Airbus delivered 663 jets; Boeing delivered 480.

Airbus is expected to further widen its lead over Boeing. According to Le Monde, combined orders for single-aisle models like the A320 family and A220 have reached over twenty thousand units with more than seven thousand still awaiting delivery—enough for nearly ten years of production at current rates.

The manufacturer aims to deliver about eight hundred twenty aircraft across all models by year-end but continues facing challenges related to Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines. Issues caused by contaminants in engine components have delayed some deliveries and created backlogs of completed planes waiting for engines—referred to as “gliders.” Although there has been some improvement in addressing these problems, ongoing supply chain constraints and required inspections continue to slow new aircraft handovers.