Where the Boeing-Airbus duopoly stands

The pandemic put Boeing and its European competitor Airbus on nearly the same playing field, at least in the eyes of investors.

Between the lines: Boeing and Airbus have a duopoly on the plane manufacturing market. In the midst of Boeing's 737 MAX crisis, Airbus delivered more than Boeing and became the world's top aircraft deliverer for the first time in years. But it was COVID-19 — not that victory — that brought the companies’ market caps to the narrowest gap on record earlier this year. Since then, Boeing has rebounded to widen its lead.