Boeing has long been the largest and most successful aircraft manufacturer in the world, kicking off the Jet Age with its 707 and following it up with the 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, and the 777 by the end of the 20th century. Airbus, the far newer entrant, was determined to overtake Boeing, chasing market share through excellent products and skilled deal-making. By the 2010s, the two were neck-and-neck, while by the 2020s, Airbus had become the leader in the aviation industry as Boeing struggled with the 737 MAX grounding, 787 quality control, and certification of the 777X.

Some highlights include Airbus securing 170 net orders in the first quarter of 2024, while continuing to sell high-margin A350s to customers like Delta Air Lines and Ethiopian Airlines. The A220 is the market leader in its segment, while demand for the A321neo remains limitless, and even the slower-selling A330neo is gaining traction, as is the A350-1000. However, Boeing is hardly down for the count, as the company has been focused on improving its production systems, even out-delivering Airbus, while its planes remain highly lucrative products.

The Market Battle Between Boeing And Airbus

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From 2019 to 2024, Airbus outsold Boeing. Largely, this was due to the 737 MAX groundings (impacting Boeing’s top-selling plane) as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of sales for both manufacturers come from their narrowbodies, with Airbus selling the A220 and A320neo family, while Boeing only has the 737 MAX. Airbus has held a definitive advantage with the A320neo over the 737 MAX, in large part due to never-ending demand for the A321neo.

However, while the narrowbody market is high volume, widebody airliners deliver far higher profit margins. Boeing sells the 787 Dreamliner and 777X, while Airbus is selling the A350 XWB as well as the A330neo. Here, Boeing has been far more competitive, with the 787 remaining the most popular widebody airliner on sale, while the 777 has also been picking up orders in recent years. The A350 and A330neo have also seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, but Boeing has actually had the advantage in this field, generally speaking.

In 2025, meanwhile, Boeing outsold Airbus for the first time since 2018, receiving 1,173 net orders while Airbus logged 889 net orders. Once again, the A320neo family outsold the 737 MAX, while Airbus also logged 49 A220 sales, and Airbus also logged nearly 200 sales for the A350 as well as over 100 sales for the A330. Boeing’s lead came from the massive demand for the 787, which received 368 orders in its second-best year ever, while the 777 was also popular.

The Battle For Aircraft Deliveries

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Aircraft manufacturers are not paid the full price of their planes until they are actually delivered. Since 2019, Airbus has led Boeing in total deliveries, which impacts the manufacturer as well as its reputation with customers. In the current age of supply chain shortages, timely deliveries are more important than ever, and Airbus has been winning so far. The 737 MAX and 787 have both been struggling with production quality issues that have impacted deliveries, while the 737 MAX 7, 737 MAX 10, and 777X are yet to be certified.

However, with the planes that Boeing can currently deliver, the manufacturer has made noticeable improvements. Specifically, Boeing appears to have largely solved the issues that impacted timely deliveries of the 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 9, and 787, with deliveries now reliably coming in at a steady pace. While Airbus has out-delivered Boeing for seven straight years, Boeing has delivered 143 aircraft during the first quarter of 2026. Airbus has delivered 114 aircraft during the same period.

Of course, the year is only about halfway done. Airbus caught up after the first quarter, delivering 262 planes to Boeing’s 250 throughout May, and the European planemaker has received orders for 368 new airliners, whereas Boeing has only received net orders for 140 commercial aircraft. It remains to be seen whether Airbus will maintain this massive lead throughout the remainder of the year, especially as the 2026 Farnborough Airshow nears, but Boeing is undoubtedly closing in on deliveries as the American manufacturer aims to regain trust and boost its profitability.

The Fight For Widebody Orders

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On the Boeing side, the orders are more or less what you’d expect. The 787-8 is not selling and is largely irrelevant today, while the 787-9 is as popular as ever. This is because it offers unparalleled fuel efficiency, incredible range, and is modestly sized. The larger, more economical 787-10 is also proving popular, while the 777-9 received several orders in 2025 due to its large size and capabilities, highly valuable for the airlines who need it. The 777-8F is also compelling as a new-build freighter.

The bigger surprise comes from the Airbus side. The A350-900 has long been Airbus’s star widebody ever since it launched, but the A350-1000 outsold the A350-900 in 2025. This is critical because the A350-1000 is Airbus’s answer to the 777-9 and intended to replace the popular Boeing 777-300ER. In part, sales of both types have been slow since many 777-300ERs are quite young, but both types are gaining more traction as the 777-300ER ages, and the A350-1000 is increasingly proving itself as a worthy flagship.

The A330-900 was also surprisingly popular in 2025. It mainly serves as a cost-effective mid-sized widebody for airlines who want a plane as fuel efficient as the Boeing 787, but don’t require the aircraft’s full range and want a plane that can seamlessly integrate into existing A330 fleets. The A330-900 is also generally available sooner than new 787s, while having lower capital costs in many cases, and the A330-900 is capturing an increasingly large niche in the widebody market.

War In The Narrowbody Market

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The Boeing 737 MAX is an extremely compelling aircraft. The 737 MAX 7 has been slow-selling (which is also true of the A319neo), but the 737 MAX 8 has outsold the rivaling A320neo. In part, the 737 MAX 8 is popular due to its slightly larger size and slightly longer range, while burning about the same amount of fuel as the A320neo. The two parties are quite competitive overall, but Airbus’s strength lies with the A321neo, which has outsold the 737 MAX family on its own with over 7,500 sales.

The A321neo is fuel-efficient and economical, while having enough range for almost any airline’s needs. The 737 MAX 9 has failed to properly compete against the A321neo, but the 737 MAX 10 promises low per-seat costs and enough range for most missions. As such, it’s become the second-best selling member of the 737 MAX family, receiving over 1,400 orders. While the A321neo remains the undisputed market leader, it’s hardly uncontested.

Airbus leads the market for small narrowbodies with the A220 family, as it’s received over 1,100 orders and is outselling the Embraer E2, the 737 MAX 7, as well as Airbus’s own A319neo. For Airbus, however, the A220 has problems, as the program has yet to turn a profit for the manufacturer. What’s more, the Pratt & Whitney engines powering the A220 have been experiencing supply chain delays which have delayed deliveries, and this has also impacted the A320neo family.

How Production Rates Will Shape Future Deliveries

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Apart from supply chain shortages for specific components (which is as relevant as ever today), determining future delivery rates is a fairly straight-forward calculus. Boeing is currently producing the 737 MAX at a rate of 47 aircraft per month and looking to boost this rate up to 52 planes per month. Long term, it hopes to eventually build 63 737s per month. Airbus, meanwhile, is building 60 A320neos per month and is targeting 75 per month, while looking to boost the A220 from eight planes per month to 12.

The A330neo is being produced at a rate of four aircraft per month, and Airbus looking to bump the rate up to five planes per month by 2029. Airbus is also looking to boost the A350’s production rate to ten aircraft per month in the interim and to 12 per month by 2028, although A350 production has been challenging due to component shortages. Meanwhile, Boeing is producing eight 787s per month and is targeting ten per month, while planning to build four 777s per month once the 777X is certified.

Boeing has closed the delivery gap in 2026 partly due to Pratt & Whitney engine delays affecting the A220 and A320neo, but as a whole, Airbus should be delivering more aircraft than Boeing in the future due to the higher production rates of its narrowbodies. Meanwhile, Airbus is also planning higher production rates overall for its widebodies, although the 777X has yet to enter service and Boeing is evaluating boosting 787 production to 16 per month. This would put it slightly ahead in widebody delivery counts if this proposal moves forward.