Boeing vs Airbus: increasing deliveries, orders & aircraft in service

The COVID-19 pandemic had some dramatic impacts on the annual orders and deliveries of the world's two leading commercial aircraft manufacturers.

Combined deliveries of Airbus and Boeing aircraft grew from 2010 to 2018, but Boeing's suspension of its 737 MAX production in 1Q2019 halted this growth and gave Airbus a clear lead. Combined deliveries then plummeted with the pandemic, and almost dried up in 2Q2020. Deliveries are recovering for both, with Airbus staying ahead of Boeing.

Orders were even more severely hit by the pandemic crisis, but Boeing's resumption of the MAX programme has helped its order cycle to recover more strongly than its delivery cycle (and more strongly than Airbus orders). Boeing also has a higher percentage of aircraft back in service than Airbus, as a result of its higher installed base in North America (where the recovery is most progressed).

This report presents data from Airbus, Boeing and the CAPA Fleet Database on the cycles of deliveries, orders and aircraft in service for the two manufacturers. The rise in these cycles is encouraging for the world's aviation industry.