Airbus on Tuesday broke Boeing’s decades-old record as its A320 family of aircraft became the highest delivered aircraft in history, surpassing Boeing’s 737 jets, as per media reports.
Airbus flies over Boeing as the most popular jet
With the delivery of its A320neo aircraft to Saudi airline Flynas earlier this week, Airbus’ A320 series became the highest delivered aircraft in history, surpassing Boeing 737 aircraft deliveries, according to data from Cirium, as reported by Reuters.
Airbus has recorded 12,260 deliveries of its A320 series of aircraft with this latest A320neo delivery, as per the data. The two competitors were neck and neck earlier this month in terms of aircraft deliveries, as tracked by renowned aviation analyst Rob Morris. Morris, earlier this month, had tracked Airbus and Boeing deliveries based on Cirium data. With two deliveries of A321 aircraft on October 2, Airbus had matched Boeing’s 737 delivery numbers, standing at 12,257 deliveries. In a LinkedIn post, Morris had said:
“When Airbus delivered the first A320 in 1988, Boeing’s lead was over 1,500 aircraft. At the turn of the century, it exceeded 2,500, but by 2018 it had reduced somewhat to around 1,800. Then the Max production issues kicked in and Airbus have been gradually whittling away at the lead ever since, until today we are at parity.”
Based in Toulouse, France, Airbus was already the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer in terms of annual aircraft deliveries. Its A320 series of planes that has now become the world’s most popular jets.
Airbus A320 and Boeing’s tumultuous few years
Airbus A320 took its first flight in 1987, entering into service in 1988. This gave Boeing around 16 years’ head start in terms of aircraft deliveries. Demand for the A320 and Boeing 737 jets has increased over the years with Asia-led economic growth, bringing in a higher number of fliers.
Boeing first introduced its Boeing 737 aircraft in 1967 for frequent flyers between the US and Europe. Over the years, however, Boeing has faced issues with its jets, especially quality issues leading to groundings and production obstacles.
Boeing had faced a grounding of its 737 jets worldwide for around 20 months after the 2018 and 2019 crashes. The Federal Aviation Administration had halted its authority to issue airworthiness certificates for its 737 MAX aircraft in 2019, shortly after the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes.
The FAA recently issued the Boeing company a civil penalty fine totalling $3,139million, reporting ‘hundreds of quality system violations. Its report noted ‘hundreds of quality system violations’ at Boeing factories in Renton, Washington, including violations at Boeing’s subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems 737 factory in Wichita, Kansas.
The A320 has also had its own set of issues, facing safety concerns following two early crashes. However, with the launch of the A320neo in 2020, the aircraft has gained further popularity. Many major airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa and easyJet, now run A320 fleets alongside their Boeing fleets. Airbus is planning to further its fuel efficiency over the next decade. In a post last year, celebrating 40 years of the Airbus A320 programme, Airbus had said:
“The next decade will be decisive for Airbus. The company will develop a hydrogen-powered airliner and a fuel- and CO2-efficient successor to the A320 simultaneously. This will require considerable resources, for which the A320 Family will be the major contributor.”
Neither Boeing nor Airbus has commented on these latest numbers. In terms of introducing new variations to their most popular jets, neither company has shown any intention of introducing a new variant anytime soon. It is to be seen how Boeing competes with Airbus numbers, especially given its production issues.
What do you think of the competition between these two companies? How do newer entrants like Embraer fit into the picture? Do share your thoughts in the comments.
