Boeing recorded 164 gross orders for commercial aircraft in November 2025, offset by 38 cancellations to yield 126 net orders, while Airbus logged 75 gross orders with no cancellations reported for the month.
The figures emerged from monthly reports released by both manufacturers on 9 and 10 December, confirming Boeing’s continued lead in year-to-date bookings. Emirates placed an order for 65 777X jets during the Dubai Airshow, contributing to Boeing’s 74 orders for the delayed widebody programme, which enters service in 2027. China Airlines added nine more 777X units, alongside 30 orders for 787 Dreamliners from Gulf Air, Uzbekistan Airways, and Etihad Airways, and 43 for 737 MAX jets.
Boeing’s year-to-date gross orders reached 1,000, netting 908 after cancellations, compared to Airbus’s 797 gross and 700 net. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury acknowledged on 10 December that Boeing would claim the annual order crown for the first time since 2019, driven by US tariff dispute resolutions.
Airbus’s November orders focused on 23 A320neo family jets and 46 A350 variants, including eight A350-1000s and two A320neos from undisclosed buyers, plus commitments from IndiGo, Etihad Airways, Air China Cargo, and Silk Way West Airlines. Cancellations hit Boeing’s widebody lines , with Etihad rescinding 15 777X and seven 787 orders, Air Canada dropping four 787s, and Comair cancelling five 737 MAXs.
Deliveries presented a different picture, as Airbus handed over 72 jets to 42 customers, lifting its 2025 total to 657, while Boeing transferred 44 aircraft, reaching 537 for the year.
Airbus trimmed its full-year delivery goal to 790 from 820 due to a fuselage panel flaw affecting 628 A320-family jets, requiring 133 handovers in December to meet the revised target. Boeing, without a formal 2025 delivery aim, projects around 590 transfers, with November including 32 737 MAXs, six 787s, two 777 freighters, and four 767s.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh stated on 9 December that airlines showed greater confidence in Boeing’s delivery commitments relative to Airbus. Boeing’s backlog stands at 6,616 unfilled planes, equivalent to 11.2 years of production at current rates, while Airbus holds 8,695, or 11 years’ worth.
The order disparity reflects widebody strength for Boeing against Airbus’s narrowbody dominance, with both firms navigating supply chain constraints and engine issues into 2026.
