With the explicit support of the President of the United States, Donald Trumpwhich has begun using the company’s contracts as a tool in international economic negotiations, Boeing finished 2025 ahead of Airbus in net orders for commercial aircraft.
Still, the American manufacturer lagged behind its European competitor in terms of the number of aircraft actually delivered during the year, highlighting the gap between order volume and production capacity.
By the end of 2025, Boeing had accumulated 1,173 net orders, against 889 recorded by Airbus. In comparison, Airbus delivered 793 commercial aircraft to customers, while Boeing completed 600 deliveries, including 30 copies of the 767 model. The figures show that Boeing, despite stronger commercial performance, still faces constraints in the pace of production.
The result for the US manufacturer was mainly driven by strong demand for the 737 MAX family, which accounted for 591 orders. The 787 Dreamliner also played an important role with 381 contracts, in addition to long-term agreements for the 777X, which totaled 163 orders. Airbus, for its part, kept its order book strongly supported by the A320neo family, which concentrated around 500 orders.
A clear distinction between the two companies lies in how the data is made public. Airbus reports detailed figures for canceled orders, while Boeing only presents aggregated figures, which reduces transparency when directly comparing the order books.
Despite delays in the phasing in of 777X the program continues to attract long-term commitments. In addition, military aircraft derived from commercial platforms, such as the aerial refueling aircraft, contributed KC-46A and maritime patrol aircraft P-8Alifting Boeing’s overall contract volume.
Another relevant point is that the total number of orders obtained by Boeing in 2025 was more than twice as high as in 2024. This growth occurred in a context of strong political involvement, where Trump began to highlight the company’s orders as a symbol of the strengthening of American industry during negotiations with America’s trading partners.
In summary, 2025 marked a significant advance for Boeing in the commercial space, signaling a gradual recovery after several years of challenges related to certification delays for the 737 MAX and 777X, the consolidation of Spirit AeroSystems and recurring quality issues. At the same time, the difference between orders and deliveries indicates that the company still faces challenges in turning contracts into production at the same pace as its main European competitor.
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Source and images: Airbus | Boeing. This content has been prepared with the help of KI and reviewed by the editors.
