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When did the Boeing 737 stop being the best-selling commercial aircraft?

Short answer

In October 2019, when the Airbus A320 family surpassed it in total orders. In active fleet size, the A320 had already overtaken it in 2017. The 737 kept the lead in total deliveries until September 2025. The A320 became the best-selling aircraft in history with 12,260 deliveries versus 12,259.

Published: October 31, 2026 · Updated: October 31, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

When did the Boeing 737 stop being the best-selling commercial aircraft?
Lufthansa Airbus A320-211 D AIQT 01Julian Herzog (Website) (CC BY), vía commons

Three handovers on three dates

The Airbus A320 family overtook the Boeing 737 on three different metrics and at three different times: fleet size, orders and deliveries. The A320 overtook the 737 in total fleet size in 2017. The handover in total orders came in October 2019. The 737 was the best-selling commercial aircraft until the A320 family surpassed it in October 2019.

The figures behind the contest

In September 2018, 7,251 A320ceo family aircraft were flying compared with 6,757 Boeing 737NGs. By then Airbus expected to deliver 3,174 A320neos by 2022, against 2,999 Boeing 737 MAXs.

The delivery that settled the count

Despite the shift in orders, the Boeing 737 kept the lead in total deliveries over the A320 until September 2025. The delivery of an A320neo to Saudi carrier flyadeal made the A320 the best-selling commercial aircraft in history, according to Reuters. At that point, the European model had accumulated 12,260 aircraft delivered against 12,259 for the Boeing 737.

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