Boeing delivered 55 commercial aircraft in September 2025, still falling behind its European competitor, Airbus, which delivered 73 aircraft last month. However, 
Boeing continues to show strong recovery, with increased deliveries year-on-year. Meanwhile, Boeing picked up more orders than Airbus in September.
With less than three months until year-end, Airbus will be looking to increase the number of deliveries per month to meet its annual target of 820 aircraft, while Boeing will be focused on stabilizing production and maintaining quality across its commercial programs.
Stabilizing Production At Boeing
Boeing’s 55 deliveries included 40 737 MAXs, one 737-700, four 767s, three 777s, and seven 787s. While deliveries were down slightly from 57 aircraft in August, Boeing showed significant improvement from September 2024 when it delivered 33 aircraft. This year saw the highest number of deliveries for September since 2018, when the US planemaker delivered 83 aircraft.
Customers who received Boeing aircraft last month include AerCap, BOC Aviation Limited, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa, TAAG Angola Airlines, 
United Airlines, and WestJet. The manufacturer has delivered 440 aircraft year-to-date. Forecast International estimates that Boeing will deliver around 590 aircraft this year, meaning it must average 50 deliveries per month during the last quarter. However, Boeing did not publish any official target this year.
The manufacturer has stabilized 737 MAX production at 38 aircraft per month, the FAA-imposed cap. Boeing has made a number of safety and quality improvements on the production line, and the FAA could potentially allow Boeing to produce more than 38 MAXs per month. The 787 program also continues to see strong performance with a stabilized production of seven aircraft per month. Deliveries are also benefiting from the ongoing drawdown of the remaining 787 inventory by the end of the year.
Airbus Chasing Delivery Targets
Airbus’ 73 deliveries comprised 59 A320neos, nine A220s, four A330s, and one A350. This was a notable increase from 61 aircraft delivered in August 2025. Last month, 41 customers received Airbus aircraft, including 
Delta Air Lines, Air Côte d’Ivoire, British Airways, Air France, Air China, JetBlue, and United Airlines. Turkish Airlines was the sole recipient of an Airbus A350-900.
As of September 30, 2025, Airbus has delivered 507 commercial aircraft to 79 customers. The European planemaker set a target of 820 deliveries in 2025 and will need to deliver 313 aircraft in the remaining months, an average of 104 deliveries per month. While many experts have already questioned Airbus’ ability to meet this goal, the manufacturer has not revised its target, as it did last year. At the end of September 2024, Airbus had delivered 497 aircraft, while chasing a lower target of 770 aircraft. In the end, it only fell short by four, delivering 766 planes.
The Airbus A350 program continues to struggle, with only 33 deliveries this year, an average of 3.6 deliveries per month. The manufacturer has delivered 392 aircraft across the A320neo family. Single-aisle deliveries were up from August, but Airbus will need to significantly increase output over the next three months, as the A320neo family bear most of the burden in meeting the 820-aircraft target. Meanwhile, this month, Airbus made history, as the A320 family officially overtook the Boeing 737 in the number of deliveries.
Airbus Vs Boeing Orders In September
While Boeing continues to lag in terms of deliveries, it was well ahead of its European competitor in terms of orders received last month. Boeing has also seen several large orders from various operators over the last few months, significantly adding to its backlog. Last month, Boeing picked up 96 gross orders, while Airbus received only 10 gross orders. Boeing has received 821 gross orders year-to-date, compared to Airbus’ 610 orders.
Boeing’s September orders included 32 737 MAXs and 64 787s. Last month saw a significant order of 50 Dreamliners, including 35 787-9 and 15 787-10 from Turkish Airlines. The deal also included options for 25 Dreamliners as the Istanbul-based carrier continues to grow and modernize its fleet.
Turkish Airlines also announced its intent to purchase up to 150 more 737 MAXs, which will be its largest Boeing single-aisle order when finalized. Meanwhile, Airbus received two A350-900 orders on September 8 and eight A350-900 orders on September 16 from unidentified customers.
