July was, by Airbus’s recent standards, a quiet month. The European planemaker handed over 67 aircraft to 39 customers — a step down from 89 in June and 81 in May. And yet, halfway-plus through 2026, Airbus is still comfortably in front.

The running total tells the real story. Airbus has now delivered 418 jets so far this year, against 373 at the same point in 2025. Boeing, enjoying its own strongest run since 2018, sits at roughly 365 through July on current estimates. The gap is real, if not enormous.

For an industry still untangling itself from supply-chain knots and engine shortages, both figures are healthy. But the delivery race — the number that airlines, lessors and shareholders actually watch — still has Toulouse ahead of Seattle.

A dip, not a stumble

The 67 July deliveries exactly match where Airbus stood in April, so this is a rhythm the company knows. Management is holding firm to a full-year ambition of around 870 aircraft, a target that implies a heavy second-half push. In the first six months Airbus delivered 351 jets, up from 306 a year earlier — a 15 percent jump chief executive Guillaume Faury credits to steadier engine supplies.

The narrowbodies are doing the heavy lifting. IndiGo alone took seven more A320neo-family aircraft in July, China Southern four, and American Airlines three A321neos. Emirates collected three widebody A350-900s. It is unglamorous, repetitive work — and it is exactly how you win a delivery race.

The order book keeps swelling

If deliveries dipped, orders did not. Airbus added 204 gross orders in July, headlined by a blockbuster commitment from lessor SMBC Aviation Capital for 100 A320neo-family jets. Riyadh Air firmed up six more A350-1000s, China Eastern signed for 25 A330-900s, and an undisclosed buyer took six A321neos.

None of this settles the wider Airbus-versus-Boeing contest for the year — Boeing’s recovery is genuine, and a strong autumn could close the gap. But on the scoreboard that matters most today, Airbus is still the one setting the pace.

Sources: AeroTime (Ian Molyneaux, 7 Aug 2026); Airbus; Forecast International; Leeham News; afm.aero. Boeing’s year-to-date figure is an estimate compiled from monthly reporting.