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Airbus has been consistently outperforming its rival Boeing in 2025 but is still struggling to achieve its own goal of delivering 820 aircraft by the end of the year. The October delivery total of 78 aircraft does not bode well for the aerospace juggernaut’s chances of hitting its target. It was Bloomberg that reported the latest production output, putting Airbus at 585 total deliveries so far this year. That leaves the manufacturer 235 short of the goal, meaning that it will need to deliver 118 planes in November and December to achieve 820 total. Shifting Target Sights Airbus has not confirmed a revised annual production target despite consistently falling short of monthly expectations, as DJ’s Aviation reports. The planemaker has been hamstrung by a combination of factors that are bottlenecking the global supply chain. Despite that, the manufacturer remains adamant that it will reach the original projected goal it set of 820 deliveries, according to DJ’s. Speculation backed by the monthly results this year projects Airbus’ annual total to fall short of the original figure and land somewhere in the high 700s. That would still far exceed the performance of its rival, Boeing, which is lagging behind by about 100 deliveries for the year. In 2024, Airbus managed 84 deliveries in November and 112 in December, making 118 per month until the New Year a lofty goal. Orders continue to flow in despite the monthly shortfalls, in part due to the significantly worse performance of Boeing in terms of manufacturing, but also because its latest A320neo family, A350, and A330neo models have performed well for operators. Boeing’s 737 MAX has had a disastrous track record since debuting, and the 777X remains uncertified, leaving only the 787 Dreamliner as a strong performer from the American side. Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer, gave these comments in the September results press release: “Deliveries remain backloaded amid a complex and dynamic operating environment. Meanwhile, we continue to expand our industrial capacity to support the commercial aircraft ramp-up.” Roadblock After Roadblock One major obstacle is a shortage of engines from both Pratt & Whitney and CFM International. That has led to many otherwise ready-to-fly jets sitting on the back lot until their powerplants arrive. Other hurdles include the merger between Spirit Aerosystems and Boeing which has somewhat disrupted the production of wings for the small A220 and larger A350, as well as A350 fuselage sections. On top of a bottlenecked supply chain for major systems and aerostructures, the wider aerospace industry around the world is still not up to pre-COVID levels in general. The global industrial capacity of aerospace was dealt a severe blow by the virtual shutdown of all air travel for two years. That shuttered business, displaced workers, and effectively cut the flow of material, parts, and services on a massive scale. There is also the ongoing issue of politically-motivated trade disputes being instigated and canceled at will by the administration of President Donald Trump in the United States. His mercurial style of diplomacy, where he threatens dramatic tariff levies and other exploitative trade conditions, only to cancel them altogether when opposed, has damaged confidence levels for overseas suppliers to the US, like Airbus. It has also earned him the nickname “TACO,” for Trump Always Chickens Out” on Wall Street. The A320 Claims First Place The 12,260th A320 delivery went to the Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier flyadeal. The airline, based at Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED), received the A320neo that put Airbus ahead of Boeing in the race for the best-selling airliner of all-time. The jet that put Airbus over the line, HZ-NS95, touched down at Riyadh International (RUH) on October 7, 2025, according to Flightradar24. That moment saw the A320 family officially beat the 737 series for the highest total number of deliveries in commercial airliner history. Boeing, however, is pushing to regain ground and potentially take its title back as the 737 MAX factory’s monthly cap was recently increased, and the other two variants of the four-model lineup are near certification. Once the 737 MAX assembly line is running at full capacity and back orders begin to be filled, we may see a closer race than ever before.
