The world’s two major aircraft builders are on even ground for the first time in several years – at least in terms of their aircraft deliveries for the current year. Airbus has reported 136 aircraft delivered during the first quarter of 2025 aircraft, while its rival Boeing’s deliveries totaled 130 commercial jets.
The deliveries are critical for both manufacturers as they directly affect revenues.
The closeness of the two results should be seen as a credit to Boeing, whose activities over the past year have been slowed by federal oversight, a seven-week work stoppage, and its own supply-chain problems. The Q1 total is more than Boeing delivered during any single quarter last year. The group delivered only 348 during all of 2024, compared to 766 deliveries last year for Airbus.
For Airbus, the tally of aircraft delivered during Q1 included 65 A321neos, one of several models for its top-selling narrow-body jet series. It delivered just one A220-100, from its mid-range jet series, and one wide-body A350-1000 aircraft.
Boeing’s Q1 deliveries were similarly led by its major seller, the narrow-body 737 MAX series. Airlines received a total of 105 of those jets during January-March 2025. Also delivered were 13 wide-body 787 Dreamliners, seven long-range 777s, and five 767 cargo jets.
Boeing Defense reported 26 aircraft delivered during the quarter recently ended.
Looking forward, the pace of deliveries may be difficult for Boeing to maintain. It continues to operate under a Federal Aviation Administration restriction that limits the number of 737 MAX jets assembled to 31 per month. Independent reports suggest the actual rate of production is somewhat lower than that number.
Also a significant number of the aircraft delivered during Q1 had been completed in 2023 or 2024 and held in inventory for various reasons, mostly because Boeing had been prevented from delivering aircraft to Chinese airlines due to a protracted trade dispute. The OEM also had a significant number of 787s in inventory, having withheld them from earlier delivery to carry out some rework.
