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Boeing secured more orders than its European rival Airbus last year for the first time this decade as countries rushed to buy US aircraft in order to curry favour with the Trump administration.

The US aviation group, which was also boosted by progress in its 737 Max jet programme, said on Tuesday that it booked 1,075 gross orders in 2025 after cancellations and conversions, compared with 1,000 orders reported by Airbus on Monday. Its official backlog increased from 6,019 at the end of November to 6,130 at the end of December.

Boeing also reported that it delivered 600 commercial aircraft last year, its highest annual total since 2018. Airbus delivered 793 planes in 2025, narrowly beating a reduced target announced in December.

Since 2018, Boeing has been dogged by the fallout from a pair of deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia involving the 737 Max, its flagship single-aisle aircraft, as well as an incident in January 2024 when a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max jet blew out in mid-air.

Kelly Ortberg, who took over as chief executive in August 2024, has since shored up the company’s finances, improved industrial relations and stabilised production of its 737 Max aircraft.

In September last year, the US Federal Aviation Administration signalled its growing confidence in Boeing’s manufacturing and safety procedures by allowing it to issue its own airworthiness certificates for 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner jets for the first time since 2019 and 2022 respectively. The following month, the FAA raised a production cap it had imposed on the 737 Max programme from 38 to 42 jets a month.

Last month, Boeing announced it had completed its long-awaited $4.7bn takeover of Spirit AeroSystems, a key supplier that built the door panel that blew out of the Alaska Airlines 737 Max.

Boeing’s December order numbers were also boosted by Alaska Airlines placing its largest ever order for 105 Boeing 737s and five 787s, in a move heralded by transportation secretary Sean Duffy last week as evidence that “American manufacturing is back”.

The group also saw demand from countries — often under the threat of steep US tariffs — seeking to ingratiate themselves with the Trump administration by placing record orders for American aircraft.

In May last year, Qatar Airways said it was ordering up to 210 wide-body planes from Boeing, including 130 787 Dreamliners and 30 777X aircraft, in a $96bn deal signed during a visit by President Donald Trump to Qatar.

Japan agreed to buy 100 Boeing aircraft as part of a trade deal with the US announced in July, while Korean Air announced it was placing a record order for 103 Boeing passenger jets hours after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Trump for trade talks at the White House in August.

Christian Scherer, outgoing chief executive of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, told reporters on Monday it was “undeniable” that Boeing had benefited from “political backing”.