In what seems to be a significant setback for European aviation giant Airbus, the company’s CEO Guillaume Faury has likely conceded defeat in the annual order race against the American competitor Boeing, saying its arch-rival looked set to win a higher share of aircraft orders for the first time in six years, helped by settlements over US tariff disputes. Airbus, however, remains ahead in terms of deliveries and outstanding orders.
Guillaume Faury’s grim prediction, which he delivered while interacting with France Inter radio, coincided with the latest feat of Boeing, where the latter, buoyed by strong demand for its 787 long-haul jet, on December 10, posted 1,000 gross orders or a net total of 908 after cancellations between January and November 2025, compared with 700 net orders for Airbus.
“The fact that we have been ahead on orders for five years means our order backlog is much higher than that of our main competitor. But they have indeed been helped by the American President as part of tariff negotiations with several countries, where plane orders became part of the resolution of trade disputes,” Guillaume Faury noted.
Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump claimed credit for helping Boeing reach the 1,000 mark after airlines announced orders for hundreds of wide-body jets coinciding with the Republican’s tour of the Gulf region in May this year.
“Boeing gave me the award for the greatest salesman in the history of Boeing, which was a nice little award. I think I have sold 1,000 Boeing planes… Now all they have to do is make them…but they will,” Trump told a group of business leaders.
As per the analysts, several airlines either placed Boeing orders or timed previously planned order announcements to soothe trade tensions with the United States in 2025, with the trends being visible particularly in Asia.
Speaking at a conference in September, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the “administration has been very helpful” in supporting sales campaigns, and that the company had benefited from Trump’s aggressive push to increase American exports. He further stressed that demand for new aircraft was also driving sales, as the aircraft maker is trying to stage a comeback after fighting safety and quality-related challenges, especially with the 737 MAX crashes, which saw two deadly crashes in 2018–2019, followed by a 2024 door panel blowout.
Also, the venture faced other setbacks in 2024, in the form of supply chain disruptions and worker protests, with both factors contributing to crippling the production activities. Boeing’s aircraft deliveries plunged by a third on a year-on-year basis. The company managed just 348 jetliner deliveries in 2024 compared to 528 in 2023, less than half of Airbus’s 766 deliveries during the same period. This translated into staggering financial losses of USD 11.8 billion in 2024 alone, pushing total losses since 2019 past the USD 35 billion mark.
The company also faced regulatory probes, lawsuits related to manufacturing defects, safety failures, and whistleblower retaliation. It had to pay USD 1.1 billion to avoid prosecution over the 2018-19 crashes that killed 346 people. While Kelly Ortberg has been successful in changing the business’ fortunes to some extent (as he succeeded David Calhoun amid numerous safety scandals), by overhauling its safety protocols through workforce retraining, whistleblower protections, and factory floor quality interventions, challenge still awaits Boeing as its 777X (including 777-9 & -8) widebody project faces significant delays, with first aircraft delivery now pushed to 2027. This setback has so far cost the planemaker nearly USD 5 billion in charges, driven by prolonged FAA certification, technical issues like engine software, supply chain problems, and quality control.
However, Guillaume Faury’s admission now means that the traditional Boeing vs Airbus rivalry is back, at least in the near term. While Airbus orders have lagged for months, Faury’s comments confirm a probable change in the ranking for new business in 2025. Despite Boeing taking an order book lead, Airbus is expected to retain its title as the world’s largest jet manufacturer.
Asked about reports of a large pending order from China, Guillaume Faury said he did not expect an imminent new order for hundreds of jets but spoke of clearances for previous orders. While Beijing has already decided to go ahead with the delivery of 120 previously ordered jets, industry sources told Reuters that the European planemaker was banking on an order for up to 500 jets from China to meet its internal order goals. Beijing is in negotiations with Boeing for a similar package.
Airbus has also renewed efforts to close a deal with AirAsia for some 100 A220S against competition from Brazil’s Embraer.