Boeing 737 family used to be the most delivered commercial plane ー now it isn’t

[arlin1]

Hello everyone!

Today, I’ve got some interesting news to share. As you can see on the title, Airbus A320 family’s number of deliveries surpassed Boeing 737 family’s, making it to the best delivered commercial aircraft in the world. With the 12260th family delivery, to Flynas, Airbus has a bigger number.
You would probably know that they manufacture the similar aircraft in size. But why did this happen?

About both aircraft & brief history

The first 737 aircraft took its first test flight in 1967, and entered the service in 1968 by Lufthansa. At first, the aircraft didn’t get much attention due to many reasons,but after some years in service and the release of -200 and -200Adv, its performance was recognized and began to be adopted by airlines by airlines around the world. Now it spent nearly 60 years in service and was the best selling commercial aircraft family in the world for a long time.

Airbus on the other hand, started the development of A320 in 1984, when over 1000 were already delivered. The first flight of A320 took place in February 1987. Airbus used modern Fly-by-Wire system, which helped to become popular among the airlines with its fuel efficiency. Many airlines were seeking for efficient 150 seat class aircraft.

Both manufactures manufactures more efficient, quiet and modern models which are NEO and MAX.

Now, why is A320 about to surpass 737 by number of deliveries, despite starting manufacturing a lot later?

Some reasons could be mentioned, but here are some key points that I personally think:

• Production ramp-up: Airbus has increased A320-family production, with multiple global assembly lines aside from Toulouse, such as Tianjin, China or Mobile in the US.
• 737 MAX grounding (2019–2020): Boeing’s output was significantly disrupted due to safety and certification issues.
• Airline preferences: I think there’s a strong demand for the A321neo, which offers high capacity and range, often outcompeting the 737 MAX 9 and MAX 10.
• Resilience during COVID-19: Airbus recovered production rates more quickly than Boeing after the pandemic.

My thoughts:

For me, as an Airbus fan, I am pretty happy that A320 family is the best selling commercial aircraft in the world. Still, however, Boeing has a bigger number of total number of planes delivered, so I hope there will be more interesting competitions between the two biggest aircraft manufactures.

What do you think?

[BennyBoy_Alpha]

Boeing probably would’ve easily kept the lead for at least a good while longer if not for the endless certification issues with the MAX 7 & MAX 10. And they’re already apparently talking about the MAX “successor” - when it’s probably 15-20 years before airlines will even start thinking about replacing it.

gg Airbus.

[Jugliar]

It’s a whole bunch of reasons, but mainly I feel it’s because Boeing has lost most of the trust:
They have been caught lying several times.

Boeing has lost much of its customers’ trust since the 737 MAX crashes because the accidents revealed deep flaws not only in the aircraft’s design, but also in the company’s safety culture and ethics. Investigations showed that Boeing had misled regulators about the MCAS flight-control system and downplayed its risks to pilots. The company prioritized cost savings and production speed over safety and transparency.

Internal emails later exposed a culture where some employees mocked regulators and expressed doubts about the aircraft’s safety. When the truth emerged, airlines and passengers felt betrayed. Boeing’s certification process with the FAA was also criticized for being overly dependent on company engineers, raising questions about regulatory capture. After the crashes, Boeing’s public responses often appeared defensive and slow, further damaging its credibility. Quality-control problems in later aircraft like the 787 and 777X added to the loss of confidence. Repeated delivery delays and safety inspections showed that the company’s problems were systemic, not isolated.

Customers now view Boeing as a manufacturer struggling with internal accountability. Rebuilding trust will require years of consistent transparency, quality improvements, and cultural reform.

Ok, it’s too big to fail, but I feel like it’ll take a decade at least to get control over these systemic flaws within Boeing. Short: money over quality and safety

[Mort]

Great article!

I’m really not surprised at all that the A320 took over the 737, given when you and @BennyBoy_Alpha pointed out. Boeing has had a really rough run of things (some of it their fault, and some of it out of their control), and Airbus has had a bit of an easier time (although not perfect).

[ChulentMaster18]

I think airbus deserves this, i still love Boeing , but airbus has just made some better moves and hasn’t cut corners which is why i think A320 passed the 737. Also, I personally feel safer on an Airbus. Please feel free to fact check me but I read somewhere that Boeing has 5000 maybe a little less deaths on their planes in the past 25 years and airbus has like 1500 in that same timeframe.

[Madison]

as an airbus fan: yippee!

[David3252]

I’m primarily a Boeing fan, but I also really like Airbuses.

I’d like to point out a few key elements in aircraft production.

Boeing, when producing the 737 Max, wasn’t supposed to change much, but ultimately, they created a completely new plane. They had to change the landing gear, engines, shift the center of gravity, change the fuselage and introduce a new MCAS system, which led to what happened.

Airbus, on the other hand, has a lot on its plate. At Air France, SWISS, and many other airlines, the A220-100 and A220-300 aircrafts are grounded in hangars due to exceptionally rapid component wear, especially on engines but also on control elements. Ventilation problems, the death of one pilot due to smoke inhalation in the cabin… the list goes on.

While the discussion is about the A320Neo and B737Max, I want to point out that every aircraft manufacturer makes mistakes, and the issue of aircraft purchases by airlines is related to tenders and commercial competition, not the preferences of the airline’s CEO or pilots. (With the exception of a few airlines, Ryanair will never buy an Airbus, as their entire infrastructure relies on Boeing.)

[Petre2026]

Growing up loving Southwest, I’ve always been a Boeing 737 fan, and while Airbus makes some cool planes, I haven’t seen a reason to switch over loyalty before. That said, hats off to Airbus, who, even through their own issues, triumphed while Boeing veered into the ditch! Both are amazing companies, both produce amazing planes, and I look forward to the future are this competition drives research and advancement in technology!

Also, nice article @arlin1!

[adit]

The delivery count comparison is apparently legitimate by industry convention, but the A320 family’s internal diversity means it spans a wider operational envelope than the 737, and some argue that counting A318s and A321XLRs alongside A320s inflates the tally beyond a fair apples-to-apples comparison.

“The announcement that the Airbus A320 family has overtaken the Boeing 737 in total deliveries was made by Airbus itself, and it’s fair to say it was strategically motivated.”

I haven’t verified the above AI statement, so corrections or verifications would be welcomed.

[Mort]

@adit

some argue that counting A318s and A321XLRs alongside A320s inflates the tally beyond a fair apples-to-apples comparison.

I would agree with that. It’s similar to if Boeing decided to also included the 757 with their count. It’s not exactly the same, since the A321s and A320s have a lot more cockpit similarities then the 737 and 757, but it’s still quite different.

[MxP]

I think it’s a fair comparison, with the new MAXs Boeing also has 4 family members and if you look back there have been countless variants from the gravel landing -200 to the MAX8-200 which is so dense as never before. The MAXs are also used on similar missions as a XLR (e.g. transatlantic) they just can’t fly as far.

[AndrewGraham]

Boeings problems began when it merged with MD and profits for shareholders became more important than engineering innovation

[David3252]

Fun fact…SWISS grounded all A220 due to multiple engine failures . Oh AIRBUS