Introduction to Flight Safety
The flight is generally regarded as the safest way to cover long distances. Statistically speaking, the trip to the airport is a higher risk for travelers than the flight itself. However, if there is an aircraft crash, like that of Air India Flight 171, statistics offer little comfort. It killed 270 people, including 241 of the 242 people on board.
Economic Consequences of Aircraft Crashes
The consequences of such accidents in the economic sector are also tragic. In addition to efficiency and environmental compatibility, operational security for a passenger aircraft is the most critical sales argument.
Airbus Takes the Lead
For decades, Boeing was the world leader in commercial aviation. In recent years, the company, which is based in Arlington, Virginia, has been facing losses. In 2024, Boeing reported a loss of business of almost $11.8 billion over a turnover of $66.5 billion. The company delivered 348 commercial passenger aircraft, a decline compared to the 528 deliveries in 2023. The downturn is attributed to challenges that include a blowout with medium air in January and a machine strike in autumn as well as the ongoing problems of the supply chain.
Comparison with Airbus
The deliveries of Boeing were significantly lower last year than that of the rival Airbus, which delivered 766 aircraft. Airbus, with around 160,000 employees, posted an operating profit of around €5 billion over sales of €69.2 billion in the same period.
Bad Luck and Error for Airbus and Boeing
The Air India crash is just the latest setback for Boeing’s security record. In recent years, the American company has stumbled from one mishap to the next and has repeatedly dealt with technical failures and production nacks. One of the clearest signs of Boeing’s struggles, especially in comparison to Airbus, is how every company has handled its largest aircraft.
Airbus’s A380 Aircraft
For Airbus, that was the A380, the largest passenger aircraft ever built. Airports around the world had to update the infrastructure such as terminals, gates, and handling capacity in order to accommodate the double-decker giant. But Airbus set production in 2021 after it became clear that many airlines found the A380 too large and expensive to operate economically.
Boeing’s Dreamliner
Boeing followed a different approach. After Boeing ended the production of the legendary but outdated Jumbo jet, it aimed to develop a competitive alternative to the A380 by developing the 787 – the Dreamliner based on a development of the 767. While Airbus went out of the A380 quietly, Boeing was displaced in negative headlines over the Dreamliner. There were problems with new composite materials and coordination errors in suppliers.
Subsidies in the USA and Europe
The rivalry between Airbus and Boeing has not yet been completed since Airbus was officially founded in 2000. Their struggle for market dominance has even drawn in the world trade organization (WTO) and in the governments of the United States and Europe. At the center of the conflict was a dispute about who gets more in state subsidies – and these subsidies are justified.
New Competitors
Brazil’s Embraer focuses exclusively on smaller regional aircraft. Canada’s Bombardier has completely shifted to the niche market for business jets. This leaves China, one of the world’s largest aviation markets, which now has a local aircraft manufacturer who is worth observing: the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China or Comac. Comac was founded in Shanghai in 2008, supported by the Chinese government, and in 2015 presented the first model of its C919, a two-engine passenger plane in China.
Future of the Aviation Market
In cooperation with the Russian aerospace and defense company UAC, Comac is developing a long-distance version, the C929, until 2028. Until then, the market for large-scale commercial aircraft will continue to be dominated by the two titans from the USA and Europe.
