The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has admitted the possibility of losing the annual order race to Boeing, saying that its eternal rival appears to be gaining a larger share for the first time in six years.
Airbus remains ahead in terms of deliveries and pending orders, said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury on the French radio station France Inter.
Following the strong demand for the long-haul 787 aircraft, Boeing announced on Wednesday 908 net orders (1,000 gross), after cancellations between January and November 2025, compared to Airbus’ 700 net orders.
“The fact that we have been leading in terms of orders for five years means that our order portfolio is much higher than that of our main competitor,” Faury told the radio station. “But it is true that they have been helped by the American president in the context of negotiations on tariffs with various countries, where aircraft orders were part of the solution to trade disputes,” he added.
Speaking later on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump claimed credit for helping Boeing reach the 1,000 order mark, after airlines announced orders for hundreds of wide-body aircraft, which coincided with his tour of the Gulf last May.
“Boeing gave me the award for best salesman in their history, which was a nice little award,” Trump told a group of top business executives. And he added: “I think I have sold 1,000 Boeing aircraft. Now all they have to do is build them. But they will.”
Trade tensions with the US support Boeing’s orders
Analysts say that several airlines have either placed orders with Boeing or announced orders that were already scheduled in order to ease trade tensions with the United States this year, especially in Asia.
In a speech at a conference in September, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said that “the government has been very helpful in supporting sales campaigns” and that “the company has benefited from Trump’s aggressive effort to increase American exports.” He also pointed out that “demand for new aircraft boosted sales.”
Airbus’s orders have lagged behind, but it is expected to maintain its title as the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer.
Asked about reports of a large pending order from China, Mr. Faury said he doesn’t expect an immediate new order for hundreds of aircraft, but he did talk about the approval of previous orders.
On Wednesday, Airbus announced that it had secured China’s agreement to deliver 120 previously ordered aircraft, with industry sources noting that Airbus had been counting on a China order of up to 500 aircraft to meet its internal targets.
Beijing, however, is in negotiations with Boeing for a similar package.
With China in tense trade relations with the United States and Europe, Western analysts say it is expected to maintain a broad balance in aircraft imports to cover its development, after several years in which it was largely absent from the market.
Airbus has also renewed its efforts to close a deal with AirAsia for approximately 100 A220s, against competition from Brazil’s Embraer.
Mr. Faury told France Inter about the recent software recall that affected 6,000 aircraft in the A320 family, which includes the A321, stating that the total number of aircraft that needed repair was approximately 4,000 and that all have now been repaired.
