According to foreign media on October 8, the total delivery volume of Airbus A320 series aircraft has exceeded that of Boeing 737 series, becoming the most delivered jetliner in history.

A320 Airbus official website

According to Reuters, on October 7, 2025, Saudi Nasr Airlines received the delivery of an Airbus A320neo. The cumulative deliveries of the A320 series reached 12,260 units, surpassing Boeing's long-standing record (12,214 units) since its service began in 1988.

This milestone reflects the intense competition in the narrow-body market: over the past several decades, Airbus and Boeing have been competing fiercely in this most busy segment, with both companies having delivered more than 25,000 narrow-body aircraft combined.

Currently, Airbus leads in annual delivery volume and is gradually consolidating its market position by targeting the low-cost aviation market and expanding global production capacity.

The Airbus A320 project started in 1984 and completed its maiden flight in 1987. Airbus was the first in the mainstream aircraft to introduce "fly-by-wire" electronic control technology.

It is reported that at the beginning of the project, Airbus had almost no foothold in the narrow-body market, while the Boeing 737 already dominated the market, and the A320 project faced the risk of being scrapped multiple times.

In 1983, there were significant differences among European governments regarding the huge R&D investment. France wanted to prioritize the development of a 150-seat aircraft for the American market, while Germany preferred to continue focusing on the wide-body market. After negotiations, French President Mitterrand and German Chancellor Kohl finally reached an agreement to ensure the project continued.

In 1984, British Prime Minister Thatcher publicly stated, "I don't want to build another Concorde," implying that the cost of supersonic aircraft was out of control. Meanwhile, Boeing has long criticized European subsidies to Airbus as unfair competition. Despite this, when the first A320 was delivered to Air France in 1988, the market highly praised its advanced technology.

Although it once encountered resistance from unions and some airlines, the Airbus A320 eventually gained widespread industry recognition and acceptance.

In contrast, the Boeing 737 series, which established itself as an "industry benchmark" since the 1960s, has always been controversial and faced internal and external challenges.

Especially between 2019 and 2025, Boeing suffered two fatal crashes involving the 737 MAX, followed by grounding, production crises, and quality issues, causing it to lose a large share of the market.

Subsequently, the production of the Boeing 737 series was limited to 38 units per month by the U.S. FAA.

Although the production limits of the Boeing series may be relaxed later, Airbus has already seized the opportunity and steadily increased its share in the global narrow-body market to about 62%.

Currently, under the dual impact of emerging competitors and increasingly strict technical standards, Airbus and Boeing are continuously evaluating the direction of future aircraft development.

Although the industry generally expects both companies to launch new models, at the International Air Transport Association (ISTAT) conference held in Prague, both companies consistently stated that they have no immediate plans to start a new aircraft development project. Instead, they plan to make a final decision on new aircraft development after achieving greater breakthroughs in core technologies such as engines.

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