Airbus has set a historic milestone in global aviation by overtaking Boeing in the race for the world’s most-delivered jetliner. On Tuesday, the European planemaker’s A320 family officially surpassed Boeing’s 737 series, marking a major turning point in their decades-long rivalry.
The record was achieved when an A320neo was delivered to Saudi airline Flynas, bringing total deliveries of the A320 family to 12,260 since its entry into service in 1988, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
This achievement highlights Airbus’s rise to become the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer by annual deliveries, ending Boeing’s decades of dominance in the narrow-body market.
The A320 was launched in 1984 and entered service four years later. Despite early doubts and political challenges, Airbus took a bold step by introducing fly-by-wire technology, which later became the industry standard. The aircraft quickly gained momentum, especially after securing a landmark order from United Airlines in 1992.
In response, Boeing upgraded its 737 lineup with the 737NG, but Airbus continued to grow its market share. Boeing later suffered major setbacks with the 737 MAX grounding after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, which damaged confidence in the American manufacturer.
Today, the A320 family is considered Europe’s first truly successful commercial jet program, reshaping the global airline industry and becoming the backbone of many low-cost carriers.
Looking ahead, both Airbus and Boeing face competition from new entrants like China’s COMAC and Brazil’s Embraer. While Airbus is expanding its production footprint in the U.S. and China, Boeing is working to recover from financial and production challenges.
Aviation experts say that while Boeing may struggle to catch up with the current A320 production pace, the rivalry could push both manufacturers to innovate with future aircraft once engine technology makes a generational leap.
