Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY) has overtaken Boeing (NYSE:BA) in one of commercial aviation’s most symbolic milestones, with the A320 family now holding the record as the most-delivered aircraft in history, Reuters reported.
According to data from aviation consultancy Cirium, the European manufacturer reached 12,260 deliveries after handing over an A320neo to Saudi carrier Flynas on Tuesday, surpassing the Boeing (NYSE:BA) 737’s lifetime total. The A320 first entered service in 1988, four decades after Boeing (BA) launched its rival single-aisle program.
The achievement underscores Airbus’s rise to dominance in the narrow-body market, an arena long defined by its rivalry with Boeing (BA). Together, the two companies have delivered more than 25,000 narrow-body jets, which initially served as feeders to major airports but later became the workhorses of low-cost carriers worldwide. Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY) capitalized on this shift after Boeing (BA) scaled back production in the years following 9/11.
The A320 program was launched in 1984, at a time when Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY) was still struggling to prove its viability after costly wide-body ventures. The aircraft introduced fly-by-wire controls to mainstream commercial aviation, a bold step that initially drew skepticism from labor groups and airlines but ultimately set a new industry standard.
Today, Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY) leads global aircraft production on an annual basis and continues to expand its footprint with assembly facilities in the United States and China. Boeing (BA), meanwhile, has been working to recover from the reputational and operational fallout of two fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, which forced it to operate under regulatory restrictions.
Both planemakers are expected to unveil fresh designs later in the next decade, but executives at this week’s ISTAT conference in Prague signaled that new developments are unlikely in the near term, pending advances in engine technology.