The cumulative deliveries of the Airbus A320 family have surpassed those of the Boeing 737, making it the most delivered jet airliner in history.
According to benchmark data released by UK consultancy Cirium on the 7th, with the delivery of an A320 to Saudi Arabia's Flynas, the series has reached a cumulative 12,260 deliveries since entering service in 1988, overtaking the long-held record by Boeing.
For decades, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and America's Boeing have been vying for dominance in the narrow-body passenger aircraft market, with the two companies together delivering more than 25,000 narrow-body jets.
Airbus has already taken the lead in annual deliveries and is steadily consolidating its market position by targeting the low-cost airline market and expanding global production capacity; data shows Airbus is extending its production lines to the US and China to meet demand.
The A320 program began in 1984 and completed its maiden flight in 1987. Airbus was the first to introduce fly-by-wire electronic control technology into mainstream passenger aircraft, which, despite initial resistance from unions and some airlines, eventually became an industry standard, driving wide acceptance of the model.
In comparison, Boeing's 737 series set industry benchmarks starting in the 1960s, but the company fell into crisis after fatal accidents in 2018 and 2019. Subsequent production was affected by regulatory and recovery challenges and is still gradually recovering.