Two large narrowbody aircraft are now competing with each other in the high-capacity single-aisle market. One is the Airbus A321neo, and the other is the Boeing 737 MAX 10. Both aircraft are made to carry many passengers and are used by airlines around the world.

No Bangladesh-based airlines currently operate the Airbus 321neo or Boeing 737-10 MAX in their fleets.

World’s largest A321neo holders include IndiGo in India, American Airlines and Delta in the US, Wizz Air in Europe, and Korean Air in South Korea. 737 MAX 10 will be used by United Airlines, with Delta and American also planning to fly this model once it is approved. Both aircraft help airlines carry more passengers on high-demand routes.

At present, Airbus is ahead because more airlines have already ordered A321neo. News reports also say that Airbus is selling more planes than its rival. However, Boeing is slowly making a comeback. In recent times, the company has received new orders, showing signs of recovery.

Because of this, the competition between two aircraft manufacturer is becoming closer and more exciting. Both Airbus and Boeing are working hard to become number one in the market.

Airbus is doing much better than Boeing in selling planes.

Airbus A321neo plane is very popular. More than 5,300 airlines have already ordered it. But Boeing’s 737 MAX 10 plane has only about 1,200 orders.

Because many airlines want A321neo, Airbus has a lot of work. Andy Cronin’s popular global aviation finance company Avolon’s latest report informs that Airbus already has enough aircraft orders to keep manufacturing aircraft until 2035.

Airlines like the A321neo much more than the smaller A320neo aircraft. In fact, A321neo is desired three times more.

Boeing still has many orders for its 737 MAX planes, almost 3 thousand in total. But its bigger aircraft, 737 MAX 10, is not selling as well.

In short, Airbus is leading, and more airlines are choosing Airbus planes currently.

Last year, Boeing sold more new aircraft than Airbus for the first time since 2018. Boeing had 1 thousand 173 orders, while Airbus had only 889. Most of Boeing’s orders came from its 737 MAX plane.

Yet, Airbus delivered 793 aircraft whereas Boeing delivered only 600 aircraft last year. Airbus still leads in small and medium aircraft. For example, A320neo family had 504 orders, while Boeing’s MAX had 461.

That’s how A321neo became world’s most popular aircraft ever last year.

Airbus can carry more people and fly farther, Boeing is slightly smaller and still waiting for approval, but both use modern fuel-saving engines. Airbus A321neo can carry up to 244 people, a bit more than the Boeing 737-10 MAX, which carries up to 230. A321neo can fly farther, up to 4,700 nautical miles (roughly 8,700 kilometers), while the 737-10 MAX flies about 3,300 nautical miles (about 6,100 km).

Both aircraft use Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion (LEAP) engines, which save fuel by 15–20%, so they are more efficient than older models. A321neo has been in service since 2019, while the 737-10 MAX still needs approval from operating mode of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), expected this year.

A321neo plane, especially the XLR version, lets airlines fly long routes with fewer passengers without using large aircraft. This gives Airbus an advantage in the middle-sized plane market.

Boeing’s 737-10 can carry more people but cannot fly as far as the A321XLR. Avolon informed that Boeing needs to catch up.

Boeing thought about making a new aircraft called the 797 to compete, but cancelled it after problems with the MAX aircraft.

Avolon predicts new program launches possibly by 2027 as competition intensifies. Airbus dominates deliveries now, but Boeing's order rebound and production ramp-up signal narrowing disparity.

Source: Boeing, Airbus, Avolon