Air TransportAirbus A320 close to overtaking Boeing 737 as most-delivered jet in history
After less than four decades of competition, Airbus is close to surpassing Boeing as the manufacturer of the most popular commercial jet in history.
The A320 family reached the end of July just 20 aircraft behind the 737 series, and since it has been outselling its rival almost every month, it will only be a matter of weeks or months before it takes the lead.
According to official data, Boeing had delivered 12,171 737 jets by July. The series began in 1967 when the twin-engine jet debuted, still eclipsed by the best-selling 727 and the giant 747, then in development.
Airbus has 12,151 aircraft in the A320 family, which entered commercial service in 1988. In other words, the European aircraft manufacturer has delivered an average of 320 aircraft per year since then, while Boeing averages 206 aircraft per year.
The overtaking was expected due to the incredible demand for the A320 family and Airbus’s greater production capacity, which has four final assembly lines for the single-aisle model. However, the 737 MAX safety crisis brought this moment forward by many years.
Deliveries in 2025 are closer
As the graphs show, the series’ grounding after two fatal accidents and Boeing’s subsequent production difficulties caused deliveries to slow down between 2019 and 2024.
Only this year has the 737 MAX managed to close the gap with the A320neo, which has also failed to repeat the 2024 figures so far. By July, Airbus had 286 aircraft compared to Boeing’s 246.
In the first half of August, the battle is tight, with both jets having around 18 deliveries.
The 737’s strong performance, coupled with still-high production inventories, could delay the A320’s feat by a few months, however.
This year, deliveries of both aircraft have been uneven, with the 737 only ahead in January while remaining virtually tied in February and June.
The A320 achieved a significant lead in March and July, but never enough to cover the 20-aircraft gap.
In any case, it’s only a matter of time before Airbus can loudly announce that it has the most successful commercial jet in history.
About the Author
Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
