European plane makers Airbus SE surpassed its delivery goals of 2021 of 600 jets as per sources familiar with the matter. The largest plane manufacturer in the world retained the title for the third year, and otherwise, they risked losing out on the available delivery schedules.
Deliveries of Boeing
The last battle of the aircraft deliveries won by Boeing was in 2018. The 737 Max was grounded early in 2019 after two crashes that killed 346 people.
The sale and delivery of the Chicago-based Boeing of its bestseller aircraft were suspended for a better part of two years, with customers canceling their orders due to weakening finances caused by Covid -19.
While 737 Max gained pace with its production in 2021, quality issues of 787 Dreamliner hampered deliveries. The pent-up demand for 737 Max caused sales to come back, and Boeing, having ordered lead for most of the year, Airbus managed to erase the advantage in the end.
As per a calculation by Bloomberg on announced aircraft sales, Airbus seemed to have edged out Boeing in 2021 by 58 orders.