Airbus last week appeared to cement its position as the world's biggest plane maker for a fifth consecutive year, announcing that it had delivered more aircraft and secured more orders than Boeing in 2023.
At the same time, Boeing is trying to recover from a huge public relations crisis caused by the 737 Max crashes.
In the long-running duel between the two aviation rivals, Airbus is reportedly way ahead.
The New York Times they mention:
"The market that was a duopoly has become two-thirds Airbus, one-third Boeing," said Richard Abulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory in Washington, D.C.
"Many people, whether investors, financiers or customers, look at Airbus and see a company run by capable people," he said. "The contrast with Boeing is huge."
The incident involving the 737 Max 9, in which a hole was drilled in the fuselage on an Alaska Airlines flight, was the latest in a series of safety failures on the Boeing aircraft. Two are included fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, indirectly contributing to the defamation of the European aerospace company.
As the Federal Aviation Administration expands control over production of the Max 9, Airbus' advantage is likely to grow.
Airlines are embarking on massive fleet expansions to cope with a post-pandemic surge in demand for global air travel and are considering which carrier to turn to.
