ABSTRACT
Boeing and Airbus – headquartered in Chicago and Toulouse, France, respectively – compete intensely in the large passenger jet aircraft market.1 Boeing (founded 1916) launched modern jet aircraft in 1958 and has 25,000 in service; Airbus started in 1972 and has more than 5,000 planes flying. Boeing has been market leader since the 1930s, but Airbus has challenged its position. In 2003, for the first time, Airbus delivered more aircraft than Boeing; Airbus also secured more aircraft orders. By 2016, Airbus and Boeing roughly split the market for annual plane sales and on aircraft value. Boeing’s 747 dominates the wide-body market, but Airbus’ high-passenger capacity A380 threatens Boeing’s position. The Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 together account for about 80 percent of unit sales, but Boeing’s 787 fuelefficient Dreamliner competes strongly in shorter-haul markets.
