End of an Era: Airbus A320 Family Poised to Dethrone Boeing 737 as History's Most-Delivered Aircraft
After decades of competition, Airbus's single-aisle program is just a few deliveries away from surpassing the historic 737, redefining leadership in commercial aviation.
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In a major power shift within the global aerospace industry, the Airbus A320 family is on the verge of overtaking the Boeing 737 family as the commercial aircraft with the highest number of deliveries of all time. This event, expected in the coming weeks, will end a nearly four-decade reign held by the American manufacturer and underscores Airbus's sustained rise in the single-aisle market.
According to recent data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, the gap between the two programs had narrowed to just 20 units by early August 2025. The cumulative figures stood at 12,175 deliveries for the 737 family compared to 12,155 for the A320 family. Given the current production pace, where Airbus consistently outpaces Boeing, the record-breaking crossover is imminent.
This shift is the result of a long-term strategy and the innovation introduced by Airbus since the A320's launch in the 1980s. The aircraft pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire technology and side-stick controls, features that were a bold gamble against the 737's traditional systems at the time.
Why is the A320 surpassing the 737 now?
Higher Production Rate: Airbus maintains a superior delivery cadence for its A320neo line, while Boeing faces challenges in stabilizing and ramping up 737 MAX production.
Solid Order Backlog: The European manufacturer has a larger backlog for its single-aisle family, ensuring a steady stream of future deliveries.
Innovation and Modernization: The introduction of the NEO (New Engine Option) variant revitalized the A320 program, offering efficiency improvements that captured a larger market share.
Although the A320 program had already surpassed the 737 in total orders since 2019 and in annual deliveries since the early 2000s, the cumulative delivery record was Boeing's last major stronghold in this segment. The current situation also reflects the difficulties facing the North American manufacturer, which, according to reports from WION, has not set a specific delivery target for 2025, focusing instead on stabilizing its supply chain and manufacturing processes. In contrast, Airbus is aiming to deliver 820 aircraft in 2025.
Both models, the A320 and the 737, make up nearly half of the global passenger jet fleet in service, demonstrating their central role in modern aviation.
Looking ahead, Airbus is not standing still. The company's CEO, Guillaume Faury, is already thinking about the next generation. During the Paris Air Show, Faury stated that they are working to launch a successor to the A320 by the end of this decade, with a projected entry into service in the mid-2030s—a clear sign that the competition to dominate the skies of the future has already begun.
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