Airbus Pulls Further Ahead As Boeing Delivery Gap Widens Again

The delivery data for July 2025 confirms a widening gap between Boeing and Airbus, two manufacturers whose output metrics have increasingly diverged over the past five years. Boeing delivered 48 aircraft during the month, while Airbus delivered 67. That brings the year-to-date totals to 328 for Boeing and 373 for Airbus.

Both manufacturers are dealing with ongoing production constraints, but the latest figures underscore that Airbus is navigating those constraints with more consistency and predictability than its American rival.

Boeing’s July output included 37 737 Max aircraft, eight 787 Dreamliners across the -8, -9 and -10 variants, two 777 freighters and one 767 freighter. While this represents a slight month-on-month decrease from June, when Boeing delivered 60 aircraft, the July number is still higher than the 43 delivered in July 2024.

It also marks Boeing’s best July performance since 2017, though the bar is not particularly high when set against the operational difficulties that have defined Boeing’s post-2019 delivery record.

Airbus, by comparison, delivered 67 aircraft to 41 customers in July, up from 63 in June. This included 54 aircraft from the A320neo family, five A220s, two A330s and six A350s. The company remains on track to meet its annual target of 820 deliveries, which would represent a seven percent increase over 2024.

The ramp-up is cautious but steady. Airbus continues to face challenges in engine availability, and currently has around 60 aircraft built but awaiting engine installation before they can be handed over.

What the monthly figures reveal is a persistent delivery delta between the two manufacturers. At the end of July, Airbus had delivered 45 more aircraft in 2025 than Boeing.

This figure may appear narrow in absolute terms, but in a market driven by tight margins and cash-flow discipline, even marginal differences in delivery rates can carry long-term significance. For lessors and airlines waiting to induct new aircraft into their fleets, predictability of delivery has become as important as the aircraft type itself.

Boeing’s current year-to-date output is made up of 246 737 MAX aircraft, 45 Dreamliners, 22 777s and 15 767s. The mix is telling. The 737 Max remains the company’s volume product and is central to its delivery numbers. But output has been hampered by quality control issues, supply chain slowdowns, and ongoing scrutiny following the mid-air door plug blowout incident in January 2024.

That event prompted a renewed focus on inspection processes and regulatory oversight, which has slowed the pace at which aircraft can exit Boeing’s Renton and Charleston facilities.

The 787 programme, while no longer in the prolonged delivery pause that affected the type between 2021 and 2022, still operates below its historical highs. While Boeing is gradually increasing production, it is not yet back to the delivery rates seen during the aircraft’s peak commercial years.

Deliveries of the 777 and 767 are largely freighter driven and remain in lower, more stable quantities.

On the orders front, Boeing recorded 31 gross orders in July, including 30 for the 737 Max and one 787-8. This figure is sharply down from June’s total of 116 orders.

The July number also includes one cancellation, a 787 order from the Republic of Iraq. Boeing's order book has grown to 699 gross orders for the year, or 655 net after accounting for cancellations and conversions.

The company now holds a backlog of 5,968 aircraft. The majority of these are 737s, though the 787 and 777X also contribute significantly to the total.

Airbus, meanwhile, recorded just seven orders in July, after securing 203 gross orders in June. The month-on-month volatility is not unusual. Major announcements are often tied to air shows or strategic customer timelines.

Airbus’s total delivery count through July is 373 aircraft to 72 customers. That figure includes a large portion of A320neo family aircraft, which continue to dominate the single-aisle order landscape globally. Despite ongoing issues with both CFM and Pratt & Whitney engine supply, Airbus has maintained a more consistent output rhythm than Boeing.

The fact that Airbus is sitting on approximately 60 completed aircraft that cannot be delivered due to engine shortages is a reminder that both manufacturers are operating in an environment constrained by the downstream supply chain. But even with this constraint, Airbus has managed to increase its monthly delivery numbers since the start of the year, while Boeing’s month-on-month performance has shown less stability.

The contrast reflects the difference in programme maturity, internal co-ordination, and industrial oversight between Toulouse and Seattle.

Boeing has not issued a delivery forecast for 2025. Airbus, on the other hand, has reaffirmed its target of 820. The absence of guidance from Boeing is partly due to the variable pace of inspections and quality control processes across its lines, especially for the 737. It is also a reflection of the cautious tone the manufacturer has adopted in the wake of the high-profile scrutiny it has faced since January 2024.

Stability in production remains a core internal priority for the company, though progress has been incremental.

The delivery gap has broader implications. Financially, each undelivered aircraft represents deferred revenue and delayed cash inflow. From a reputational perspective, it influences customer confidence.

Airlines building future capacity or replacing ageing fleets are making procurement decisions based not only on performance metrics but also on supply reliability. Over the last 24 months, Airbus has benefited from a perception of greater stability. That perception, when backed by consistent data, translates into commercial advantage.

Boeing is not standing still. Its leadership continues to emphasise efforts to stabilise the production system, invest in workforce development, and improve its quality control systems. But in an industry where the product cycle spans decades and order backlogs run into the thousands, catching up requires more than promises. It requires execution at scale, over time.

What the July numbers show is not simply a momentary difference, but a continuation of a multi-year trend. Airbus has consolidated its lead in commercial aircraft deliveries and is sustaining it in a difficult operating environment. Boeing, meanwhile, is still in a recovery phase — navigating structural issues, managing reputational repair, and recalibrating its manufacturing processes.