Saturday Spotlight: Airbus is winning the battle for the skies from beleaguered Boeing

The recent challenges around safety concerns and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic have resulted in American aircraft manufacturer Boeing losing ground to Airbus.

Although both companies control a significant market share, Toulouse-based Airbus has extended its dominance over the last five years.

According to data compiled and calculated by Finbold, shared with City A.M. this afternoon, by the end of 2021, Airbus had delivered 1,376 aircrafts under all categories from the start of the pandemic in January 2020.

The units almost tripled the cumulative 466 deliveries made by Boeing over the same period.

Over the last five years, Airbus has had an upper hand delivering 3,757 aircrafts, with Boeing trailing at 2,415. Interestingly, in 2017 and 2018, Boeing recorded a total of 1,569 deliveries which was higher than Airbus’ 1,518.

For specific aircrafts, Boeing registered the highest deliveries for the controversial 737 MAX brand with 245 units despite the safety concerns. Elsewhere, A320neo was the leading brand for Airbus with 258 units.

Airbus capitalizes on Boeing’s misfortunes 

The report highlights some of the drivers behind Airbus’s extended dominance over Boeing in recent years.

“Although Boeing and Airbus are historical competitors, the European manufacturer gained the upper hand during the health crisis, capitalizing on the global grounding and delivery pause of Boeing’s 737 MAX. Despite the 737 MAX resuming circulation, Boeing was unable to catch up,” the authors worte.

In general, the two manufacturers took a hit from the pandemic and recorded suppressed orders as the airline industry was grounded globally.

However, they still command a significant share of market orders thanks to their market position and they will likely explore means to expand their market position.