Boeing’s 737 is no longer the most-delivered commercial plane in history; its European rival Airbus tipped the scale in favor of its A320 family this month.

But Boeing is continuing its march to recovery as it increases production in its Renton 737 factory. It delivered 55 commercial airplanes of all types in September, its highest number of deliveries for that month since 2018, the company said Tuesday.

In its monthly recap of orders and deliveries, Boeing said it beat its five-year average of 40 deliveries in September and significantly increased deliveries from the same month last year, when it delivered 33 planes.

In September 2018, just before two fatal 737 Max crashes upended Boeing’s production system, the company delivered 87 airplanes.

Boeing slowed production after the fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, and again after a nearly catastrophic midair blowou t in 2024. The Federal Aviation Administration’s cap on 737 Max production put in place after that blowout is still in place, though Boeing executives have said the company is gearing up to ask for approval to move beyond producing 38 Max planes per month.

Of the 55 planes delivered in September, 40 were 737 Maxes, a combination of new planes rolling out of the factory and nearly finished planes coming out of storage. Boeing also delivered one 737 NG to its defense division for the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft program.

On the widebody side, Boeing delivered seven 787 Dreamliners, three 777 freighters and four 767s. Of the 767 planes, it delivered two to its defense unit for the KC-46 tanker.

From Jan. 1 through the end of September, Boeing delivered 440 airplanes, compared to 291 for the same time period last year. In the three months between July and September, Boeing delivered 160 planes, up from 116 in the third quarter of 2024.

Meanwhile, this month, Boeing’s European competitor Airbus took a top title from the American manufacturer: Airbus’s A320 family surpassed Boeing’s 737 as the most delivered commercial plane — ever.

Airbus passed the threshold in October when it delivered its 12,260th jet from the A320 family, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. The A320neo was delivered to Saudi carrier Flynas, Reuters reported.

In September, Airbus delivered 73 planes, compared to Boeing’s 55. From January through September, Airbus delivered 507 planes, compared to Boeing’s 440.

Orders

Boeing booked 96 new orders in September, including orders for 30 737 Maxes from Norwegian Airlines, 50 787s from Turkish Airlines and 14 Dreamliners for Uzbekistan Airways.

It also recorded orders for two Maxes from unidentified customers and saw one Max cancellation from Enter Air, a Polish charter company.

After factoring in adjustments for accounting principles, Boeing said it recorded 48 net orders in September.

From Jan. 1 through the end of September, Boeing has had 821 gross orders and 870 net orders, when factoring in cancellations and accounting principles that move orders in and out of its backlog.

Boeing’s backlog dipped from 5,994 planes as of Aug. 31 to 5,987 at the end of September.

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