European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has narrowly exceeded its annual target, with the plane maker recording 793 aircraft delivered in the 2025 calendar year (according to Bloomberg). According to the report, Airbus worked tirelessly up until the final days of the year to achieve the target.
Airbus last month cut its 2025 guidance, which had forecasted a delivery of 820 airplanes, following several issues for the Airbus A320 (including the software upgrade that practically grounded the entire A320 fleet for hours), and other discoveries of fuselage panels that didn’t meet required specifications pushed the estimates of more than 800 aircraft back.
Over 790 Aircraft Delivered
While Airbus is yet to confirm the exact number of aircraft delivered, media outlets have been doing sums of their own, with Reuters suggesting more than 790 aircraft, and Cirium and an online aviation analytics company expecting a total of 782 aircraft delivered in 2025. Airbus remainst he world’s largest planemaker, based on production and delivery dates. It does, however, fall behind the U.S plane maker 
Boeing when it comes to the total number of new orders.
Airbus has declined to comment on current annual deliveries; the audited order and delivery figures are set to be published once markets have closed on Monday, January 12. The performance of both Airbus and Boeing continues to be closely watched as they provide an indicator of the wider airline network stability.
Airbus itself has struggled in the last few years with supply chain pressures and sourcing of components from engines to interior parts. This has left occasions where the aircraft are not ready for handover.
Airbus vs Boeing
Between to worlds two world’s largest plane makers, more than 1,400 aircraft are expected to have been delivered before the end of the calendar year. This is the first time it has returned to post-pandemic delivery levels. In 2024, Airbus delivered 7commercialcal aircraft to 86 international customers.
Airbus remains the leader in commercial aircraft deliveries, with it expected to be a 150 difference between Airbus and Boeing once final delivery numbers are confirmed. Airbus’ commitment to meeting its 2025 delivery target was highlighted on December 19, when it delivered ten Airbus A321neo in one day, with the recipients below:
|
Air China |
Three A321neo |
|---|---|
|
Wizz Air |
Three A321neo |
|
IndiGo |
One A321neo |
|
Scoot |
One A321neo |
|
AirAsia |
One A321neo |
|
China Airlines |
One A321neo |
For Boeing, this year has been about recovery, working through several company crises, which included quality control issues, additional certification, and delivery delays. Despite this, Boeing has pushed to bounceback after a challenging 2024, and is expected to reach around 650 aircraft before the end of the calendar year. Through November, Boeing had delivered 537 aircraft, which were primarily made up of the Boeing 737 MAX. Boeing has continued to face headwinds with the 777X project, which has yet to deliver a single aircraft.
Airbus Delivers 10 A321neos In 1 Day In Push To Meet End-Of-Year Delivery Target
Airbus is in the final sprint of 2025.
What Does 2026 Look Like For Airbus
There are a number of developments on the horizon for Airbus in 2026, with the most iconic likely being the long-awaited Airbus A350-1000ULR delivery to Qantas. This game-changing aircraft is the backbone of the Australian carriers ‘Project Sunrise’ initiative, which will deliver non-stop flights from Sydney to New York and London. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in late 2026. These planes can make the journey of up to 22 hours non-stop.
Additional increases to Airbus A320 output will see the narrow-body planes continue to meet high demand. A second assembly line at Airbus in China ( Tianjin), and another A321 line in Toulouse, repurposed from the shelved Airbus A380, will also be operational this calendar year.
As suggested by Aerospace Global News, the European plane maker will continue to push into 2026 with high delivery targets which are focused on Airbus A320neo and A321XLR growth while also seeing hte first Airbus A350F take flight. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury noted that 2026 is ‘another year of progressive ramp up’.
