The global aerospace market is worth more than over nine trillion US dollars, with main markets in United States, France, Germany, and the UK. This industry’s largest aerospace and defense manufacturers are Boeing and Airbus. For almost a century, the pioneering companies that make-up Boeing have been at the forefront of innovation in aviation. Boeing enjoyed monopoly in aviation until Airbus was born was 1970. The Airbus-Boeing competition is marked as duopoly in the large jet airliner market since 1990s. This study is commissioned to examine the global market, innovation, & patent filing trends by Airbus and Boeing in the last five years i.e., since 2017 till March 2022. The annual aircraft deliveries by both Airbus and Boeing in FY2021 show a rise by 7.9% and 116.6% respectively from FY2020. Though, Airbus is the winner in terms of number of aircraft orders and deliveries in FY2021. There is also a rise in consolidated revenue in FY 2021 from previous year for both Airbus and Boeing by approx. 4% and 7% respectively. However, there is a slight dip in R&D expenditure in 2021 by approximately 4% and 9% respectively for Airbus and Boeing maybe due to COVID-19 crisis. In FY2021, for Airbus, revenue mainly poured in from Europe followed by Asia-Pacific regions; and for Boeing, its major customers were from North America followed by Europe. The world airliner census data for FY2021 represents that there are a greater number of operational aircrafts by Boeing than that for Airbus. Boeing accounted for 8,907,948 flights during the year, whereas Airbus edged slightly ahead with 9,401,161 flights scheduled for the year 2021. While Airbus is the overall winner in this category, Boeing was behind far more widebody flights with 1,103,294 flights compared to 645,220 with Airbus aircraft. In terms of patent filing trend, Boeing is the winner with 14,994 applications (and 5,228 patent families) filed whereas Airbus has filed 11,440 applications (and 3,713 patent families) between January 2017, and April 2022. The filed patents have been categorized into 60 technological domains related to aerospace. The number of inventors for Boeing is more than double the number for Airbus. The number of withdrawn applications is higher in case of Airbus as compared to Boeing. The number of rejections during prosecution is also higher for Airbus as compared to Boeing. Finally, in terms of design, safety, and passenger experience, Airbus and Boeing have their own advantages and challenges. The report discusses some of the aspects based on which a comparison has been made.

1. W W W . B O O L E A N I P . C O M | I N F O @ B O O L E A N I P . C O M | + 9 1 1 2 4 4 2 3 3 9 8 1

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This study is commissioned to examine the global market, innovation, & patent filing
trends by Airbus and Boeing in the last five years i.e., since 2017 till March 2022.
The annual aircraft deliveries by both Airbus and Boeing in FY2021 show a rise by
7.9% and 116.6% respectively from FY2020. Though, Airbus is the winner in terms of
number of aircraft orders and deliveries in FY2021. There is also a rise in consolidated
revenue in FY 2021 from previous year for both Airbus and Boeing by approx. 4% and
7% respectively. However, there is a slight dip in R&D expenditure in 2021 by approx.
4% and 9% respectively for Airbus and Boeing maybe due to COVID-19 crisis. In
FY2021, for Airbus, revenue mainly poured in from Europe followed by Asia-Pacific
regions; and for Boeing, its major customers were from North America followed by
Europe. The world airliner census data for FY2021 represents that there are a greater
number of operational aircrafts by Boeing than that for Airbus. Boeing accounted for
8,907,948 flights during the year, whereas Airbus edged slightly ahead with 9,401,161
flights scheduled for the year 2021. While Airbus is the overall winner in this category,
Boeing was behind far more widebody flights with 1,103,294 flights compared to
645,220 with Airbus aircraft.
In terms of patent filing trend, Boeing is the winner with 14,994 applications (and
5,228 patent families) filed whereas Airbus has filed 11,440 applications (and 3,713
patent families) between January 2017, and April 2022. The filed patents have been
categorized into 60 technological domains related to aerospace. The number of
inventors for Boeing is more than double the number for Airbus. The number of
withdrawn applications is higher in case of Airbus as compared to Boeing. The number
of rejections during prosecution is also higher for Airbus as compared to Boeing.
Finally, in terms of design, safety, and passenger experience, Airbus and Boeing have
their own advantages and challenges. The report discusses some of the aspects based
on which a comparison has been made.
I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G

3. CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................4
METHODOLOGY AND ASSUMPTIONS...................................................................7
AIRCRAFT ORDERS AND DELIVERIES....................................................................9
GLOBAL OPERATIONAL AIRLINER CENSUS........................................................10
ANNUAL REVENUE.................................................................................................11
R&D INVESTMENT AND STRATEGY.....................................................................13
PATENT APPLICATIONS TECHNOLOGY ANALYSIS............................................14
PATENT APPLICATIONS FILING TRENDS............................................................16
GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE OF PATENT ACTIVITIES.......................................17
PATENT EXAMINER TRENDS.................................................................................18
PORTFOLIO STRENGTH.........................................................................................19
INSIGHTS & CONCLUSION....................................................................................20
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................23

4. The global aerospace market is worth more than over nine trillion US dollars, with main
markets in United States, France, Germany, and the UK. This industry’s largest
aerospace and defense manufacturers are Boeing and Airbus. For almost a century, the
pioneering companies that make-up Boeing have been at the forefront of innovation in
aviation. Boeing enjoyed monopoly in aviation until Airbus was born was 1970. The
Airbus-Boeing competition is marked as duopoly in the large jet airliner market since
1990s.
Boeing was founded by William Boeing as Aero Products Company in Seattle,
Washington, in 1916. In 1917, the organization was renamed Boeing Airplane
Company, with William Boeing forming Boeing Airplane & Transport Corporation in
1928. The company designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets,
satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. Boeing is among the
largest global aerospace manufacturers; it is the third-largest defense contractor in the
world based on 2020 revenue and is the largest exporter in the United States by dollar
value. However, in May 2020, the company cut over 12,000 jobs due to the drop in air
travel during the COVID-19 pandemic with plans for a total 10% cut of its workforce
or approximately 16,000 positions. After two fatal crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX
narrow-body passenger airplanes in 2018 and 2019, aviation regulators and airlines
around the world grounded all 737 MAX airliners. In July 2020, Boeing reported a loss
of $2.4 billion because of the pandemic and the grounding of its 737 MAX aircraft. In
FY2021, Boeing reported a consolidated revenue of $62.3 billion.
Airbus SE is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs,
manufactures, and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and
manufactures aircraft in Europe and various countries outside Europe. Airbus is also
among the largest global aerospace manufacturers and is largest exporter in Europe
and Asia based on revenue. In 2019, Airbus displaced Boeing as the largest aerospace
company by revenue due to the Boeing 737 MAX groundings, with revenues of
US$78.9 billion and US$76 billion respectively.
I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 4
INTRODUCTION

5. By July 2021, Airbus had a 65% share of the single-aisle backlog compared to Boeing’s
35% share. Airbus has committed to the "Flightpath 2050", an aviation industry plan to
reduce noise, CO2, and NOx emissions. In April 2020, Airbus announced that it has cut
aircraft production by a third due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In September 2020,
Airbus unveiled three liquid hydrogen-fueled "ZEROe" concept aircraft that it claims
could become the first commercial zero-emission aircraft, entering service by 2035.
Since inception Airbus and Boeing have been following different design philosophy. In
terms of exterior, the best way to spot the difference between Airbus and Boeing is by
looking at the nose, engines, and wing tips. Airbus aircrafts mostly have a much more
rounded nose which isn’t very long. The nose on the most Boeing aircrafts is somewhat
longer making it look a bit sleeker.
Airbus aircraft engines look larger and are symmetrically rounded when viewed from
the front. The Boeing aircraft engines appear a bit smaller and have a ‘flatter’ spot on
the bottom of the engines when looking at them head on. This flat area on the bottom
of the engine helps to protect against a ‘pod strike’ where the engines could contact
the ground on take-off or landing due to inadvertent roll.
When it comes to automation (autopilot or automated flight control), Airbus places the
autopilot and hard limitations at the centre of its design. The Airbus provides full flight
envelope protection in that it will not allow the pilots to exceed certain parameters
called hard limits. Examples include stopping the pilots from stalling the aircraft or
exceeding certain pitch or roll parameters. On the other hand, Boeing places the pilots
at the centre of its design philosophy and ensure that the pilot always have full control
authority. This means that at any point, they can simply disconnect the autopilot and
fly any maneuver required at any given time.
Historically, while the aerospace industry utilizes trademarks, trade secrets,
commercial agreements, and other instruments to maximize return from technological
developments, patents are considered important for leveraging aerospace IP. This has
I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 5
INTRODUCTION

6. shifted in the last decade as aerospace patents internationally have seen an increasing
growth rate. National policy, corporate incentives, new technology and maturing
markets all provide strong drivers for this change. Though, historically, the aerospace
sector is not as litigious as other industrial sectors.
Patents are often published strategically, where there is perceived importance or
competition in associated technology areas and are generally first filed in the country
of invention. Patent filing location can therefore signpost technological activity,
capability, and innovation within territories. However, patents are not a direct
indicator for innovation. While patents should describe something novel and useful,
innovation relies on the successful exploitation of new ideas. In other words,
commercialization is necessary to qualify as innovative.
Boeing is fervently protective of its inventions, so they file thousands of patent
applications every year. Innovations that are visible on products and services, as well
as innovations that can be easily reverse engineered are prime candidates for patent
protection. On the other hand, Boeing files very fewer patent applications in military-
specific innovations or innovations that can effectively be kept out of the public
domain as trade secrets.
Airbus is a highly innovative company, with an annual R&D budget of some EUR two
billion, self-financed R&D investments totaling EUR 3.4 in 2019 and more than 1,000
scientists and researchers worldwide. In total, the company holds about 37,000
patents across a wide range of technologies. As the world’s biggest aircraft
manufacturer, producing both civil and military aircraft worldwide, Airbus is leading
the way in helping the industry develop and commercialize new technologies that
support its environmental goals. Airbus believes that the future of aerospace is
autonomous, connected and zero-emission. Many of Airbus’ technical developments in
the field of green innovation are protected through patents.
I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 6
INTRODUCTION

7. The aim of this study is to understand global aerospace patent activity for Airbus and
Boeing in order to shed light on the competitive landscape and market dynamics in the
last five years (i.e., since 2017).
The following objectives guided this study:
1. How is the market for Airbus and Boeing?
2. What drives the growth of patent ecosystem for Airbus and Boeing?
3. Do patent technology classification trends indicate future capability and workshare?
4. How is the patent portfolio strength and R&D strategies for Airbus and Boeing?
A dataset of around 9,000 patent families was obtained for patent applications filed
since January 2017 till April 2022 using PatBase database. The patent data was
analyzed collectively as statistical data points for the following insights:
-No. of patent application filings
-Countries of publication, first filing, and families
-Technology categorization into 60 individual categories
-Citation Analysis
-Claim Analysis
-Legal Status Analysis
-Inventor Analysis
-Patent Examiner Analysis
Annual financial and performance reports and other market research literature for
Airbus and Boeing were extracted and analyzed to understand the following metrics:
-No. of Aircraft orders and deliveries
-World Airline census
-R&D expenses
-Annual Revenue
-Regional Revenue
I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 7
METHODOLOGY AND ASSUMPTIONS

8. When patent data was plotted alongside market data, a map of country and
organization technology activity through IP ownership and market presence was
established and interrogated.
To analyze the dataset, some assumptions were made, including that the country of
first filing generally indicates the country of invention and that a published application
is a good indication of commercially viable IP. Neither are always true, and this paper
tries to explain when this fall short. The analysis also took into consideration the
political, legal, and competitive environment. A total effort of 50 hours was spent in
conducting and preparing this study report.
I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 8
METHODOLOGY AND ASSUMPTIONS

9. Below charts shows the number of aircraft orders received and deliveries made by
Airbus and Boeing since 2017. The significant orders in a year were +1,109 in 2019 for
Airbus and -1,026 in 2020 for Boeing and the significant deliveries were +611 Airbus
aircraft and +340 Boeing aircraft in 2021.
I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 9
AIRCRAFT ORDERS AND DELIVERIES
Airbus Boeing
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 (Till March)
1,250
1,000
750
500
250
0
-250
-500
-750
-1,000
-1,250
Number of aircraft orders
Airbus Boeing
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 (Till March)
1,000
750
500
250
0
Number of aircraft deliveries
Boeing deliveries considerably exceeded that of Airbus throughout the 1980s. In the
1990s, this lead narrowed significantly but Boeing remained ahead of Airbus. In the
2000s, Airbus assumed the lead in narrow-body aircraft. By 2010, little difference
remained between Airbus and Boeing in both the wide-body or narrow-body categories
or the range on offer. For Airbus, its A320 aircraft and for Boeing, its Boeing 737 has
been the most ordered and delivered model till date.

10. Below chart shows the global operational airliner census data for the last six years. It
can be clearly seen that despite few setbacks due to *grounding of Boeing 737 Max,
Boeing still leads this space, and it has the maximum number of operational airliners in
air.
I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 1 0
GLOBAL OPERATIONAL AIRLINER
CENSUS
Airbus Boeing
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
12,500
10,000
7,500
5,000
2,500
0
*After two fatal crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX narrow-body passenger airplanes in
2018 and 2019, aviation regulators and airlines around the world grounded all 737
MAX airliners. The problem was primarily due to a MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics
Augmentation System) system that was installed in 737 Max aircrafts which would
compensate for an excessive nose up angle by adjusting horizontal stabilizer before
the aircraft would potentially stall. MCAS unfortunately acted on false data from a
single angle of attack (AoA) sensor, as if the plane had pitched up excessively. This
resulted in fatal crashes.
Boeing has now improved this MCAS system such that it operates in unusual flight
conditions only and now relies on two sensors, activates only once and never overrides
pilots’ ability to control the airplane. Apart from that, Boeing has also introduced pilot
training programs requiring all MAX pilots to undergo MCAS-related training in flight
simulators. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted the order that
suspended 737 operations for airlines under their jurisdictions.

11. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 1 1
ANNUAL REVENUE
Airbus Boeing
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
125,000
100,000
75,000
50,000
25,000
0
Annual Revenue (in million USD)
Airbus Boeing
Commerical Aircraft Defence and Space Helicopters Global Services
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Annual Revenue Diversification By Business Segment for FY2021 (in million USD)
Airbus Boeing
North America Europe Asia Middle East Latin America Other
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Annual Revenue Diversification By Geographical Region for FY2021 (in million USD)
Above charts show a comparison of annual revenue in last five years, regional revenue
and segment-wise revenue for FY2021. In 2019, Airbus displaced Boeing as the largest
Although Airbus conducts all its deals in Euros, for simpler comparison Euro values
have been converted to USD by using an average conversion rate of 1 EUR = 1.1 USD.

12. aerospace company by revenue due to the Boeing 737 MAX groundings, with revenues
of US$78.9 billion and US$76 billion respectively. Airbus’ revenues are better
diversified and are from markets that have high growth potential such as the Asia
Pacific, especially China. Boeing mainly earns their revenue from United States. In the
last few years, Airbus has lead the commercial aircraft market with Boeing being at
second position. Airbus is more dependent on civilian aircraft for its revenues, with its
commercial and helicopters (majorly civilian) segments together contributing a majority
share of around 80% of its revenues, whereas Boeing earned majorly 40% of its
revenue from defense and space segment and just 30% from the commercial aircraft
category. In addition, Boeing doesn’t offer civilian helicopters. This partly explains
why Boeing is better placed to absorb any potential financial shocks of multiple
grounding incidents that may affect sales. While the quick growth of Airbus can be
attributed partly to the boom in commercial aviation, the feat wouldn’t have been
possible without state benefits. The geographical distribution of revenues of the two
companies is evidence of just how much Airbus benefits from state support.
I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 1 2
ANNUAL REVENUE

13. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 1 3
Airbus Boeing
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
7,500
5,000
2,500
0
R&D INVESTMENT & STRATEGY
Below chart shows a comparison of R&D investment by Airbus and Boeing over the
last five years. In the last four years, Airbus has invested more on research and
development as compared to Boeing.
Annual Research and Development Investment (in million USD)
The chart above shows a comparison on R&D strategy based on patent filings in last
five years for Airbus and Boeing. Boeing seem to be doing well when it comes to
following a better patent filing and R&D strategy. Boeing having higher number of
inventors, a greater number of inventors per application, and higher number of
backward/forward citations indicate that its inventions are more complex.

14. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 1 4
Airbus Boeing
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
Cosmonautic Vehicles
Rotorcrafts
Unmanned aerial Vehicles
Stabilizing surfaces
Wings
Fuselage
Aerodynamics
Aircraft flight control
Control Surfaces
Error and fault detection
Measuring Devices
Optical investigation
Performance monitoring
Radiation wave/particles investigation
Radio Waves Investigation
Strength investigation by stress application
Testing bend in wings
Thermal investigation
Composites
Additive Manufacturing
Air noise dampening
Computer aided design
Designing, assembling,cleaning and repairing
Doors and Windows
Fasteners such as rivets,bolts, nuts
Manipulators and Clamps
Plastic shaping and molding
Riveting
Thermomechanical treatments
Welding and Soldering
PATENT APPLICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
ANALYSIS
Below chart shows the patent applications by Airbus and Boeing categorized in
different technology areas.
Aircraft Type
Airframe
Flight Dynamics
Malfunction and
Performance
Testing
Manufacturing
and Shaping

15. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 1 5
Airbus Boeing
0 1,000 2,000 3,000
Image Processing
Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence
Air Traffic control
Lidar Navigation
Navigation
Radar Navigation
Satellite radio beacon navigation
Auxilliary Power
Batteries
Electric power distribution
Electrical Faults testing
Solar Cells
Engine
Nacelles
Propeller
Aircraft indicators or protectors
Data Security
De-icing of exterior
Emergency devices
Fire fighting and Prevention
Aircraft air pressure and ventilation management
Cameras and Lighting
Coating and Painting
Communication
Greenhouse gas reduction
Disinfection or Sterilising
Landing Gears
Passenger Cabin
Seats
Brakes
PATENT APPLICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
ANALYSIS
Below chart shows the patent applications by Airbus and Boeing categorized in
different technology areas.
Object Tracking
and Recognition
Positioning
and
Navigation
Power Sources
and Management
Propulsion
Safety

16. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 1 6
Airbus Boeing
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
PATENT APPLICATIONS FILING
TRENDS
Below chart shows the patent filing trend for Airbus and Boeing in the last five years.
Although, many applications filed in last two years are still not published, a continuous
rise in patent filing for both Airbus and Boeing is noticeable. Though, Boeing is the
winner in terms of number of patent filings.
No. of patent families filed annually
Airbus Boeing
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
7,500
5,000
2,500
0
No. of patent applications filed annually
Airbus Boeing
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
No. of priority applications filed annually

17. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 1 7
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500
United States of America
European Patent Office
Germany
China
France
United Kingdom
WIPO
Canada
Spain
South Korea
Japan
Russian Federation
India
Brazil
Australia
GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE OF
PATENT ACTIVITIES
The chart below shows the number of patent applications published in different
jurisdictions for Airbus and Boeing. Both Airbus and Boeing consider USA, Europe, and
Asia as its prominent market in terms of patent filing.
Geographical Coverage for Airbus
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
0 2,000 4,000 6,000
United States of America
European Patent Office
China
Japan
Canada
Germany
Brazil
Australia
South Korea
Russian Federation
Spain
India
Singapore
WIPO
United Kingdom
Geographical Coverage for Boeing

18. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 1 8
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PATENT EXAMINER TRENDS
The chart below shows a comparison on top 15 examiners mainly handling the
examination of patent applications by Airbus and Boeing. As can be seen, there are
many common examiners between Airbus and Boeing. The rejection rate (around 10%)
is similar for both Airbus and Boeing.
Patent Examiners for Airbus
Patent Examiners for Boeing
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19. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 1 9
PORTFOLIO STRENGTH
The chart below shows a comparison on portfolio strength based on patent filings in
last five years for Airbus and Boeing. Although Airbus has a greater number of average
total claims and lesser number of backward citations, Boeing has lesser percentage of
rejected and withdrawn patent applications.

20. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 2 0
INSIGHTS & CONCLUSION
The study reveals that Airbus has been consistently putting in more every year to be
the number one manufacturer and supplier in this market. The number of aircraft
orders received and aircrafts deliveries every year has been continuously rising for
Airbus. Major portion of revenue for Airbus comes from its commercial aircraft
division, and its major market is situated in Europe and Asia Pacific regions. The R&D
investment of Airbus has continuously increased and is more than that for Boeing.
Although Boeing is the oldest player in this segment, some recent fatal accidents has
catalyzed to its reducing growth rate. Major portion of revenue for Boeing comes from
its Defense and Space, followed by commercial aircrafts division. Boeing’s FY2021
revenue shows that it has a more diversified revenue that makes Boeing more
financially risk free as compared to Airbus. Although Airbus is winning in terms of
number of deliveries in last four years, global operational airliners data shows that
Boeing is still winning with maximum number of aircrafts that are in service. Boeing’s
geographical revenue diversification is more concentrated, mainly in North America,
than that for Airbus. Boeing’s annual consolidated revenue has been more than that for
Airbus except for 2019 when Boeing’s 737 Max passenger airliner was grounded
worldwide between March 2019 and December 2020 after 346 people died in two
crashes. In terms of commercial aircrafts orders and deliveries, Airbus is a clear winner
over Boeing.
The global patent filing trend in last five years showcase that Boeing filed a greater
number of patent applications. The number of first filings for Boeing is also more than
that for Airbus. Both Airbus and Boeing file their patent applications in USA, Europe,
and China. Boeing filing a greater number of patent applications in China and India as
compared to Airbus hints that they are targeting Asia Pacific regions which is one of
the major revenue earning regions for Airbus. Patent applications filed by Airbus tend
to have a greater number of total claims on average but lesser number of independent
claims on average than Boeing. Boeing has a bigger team of inventors and its average
number of inventors per patent application is also more than Airbus. The overall patent
portfolio strength and R&D strategy based on patents filed in last five years suggest

21. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 2 1
INSIGHTS & CONCLUSION
that Boeing is more focused on protecting its innovations and IP. In terms of
technology, both Airbus and Boeing have filed many inventions focused on reduction
of greenhouse gases and engine. Boeing has a greater number of patent applications
focused on aircraft flight control, shaping and molding techniques and composites.
Many applications mentioning machine learning and artificial intelligence are also filed
by both Airbus and Boeing.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and resulting travel bans hit the aviation
industry to a great extent. Countries across the world imposed lockdown measures to
contain the spread of the virus which impeded airline groups to operate for many
months. Therefore, most of the air carriers cancelled mainline aircraft orders to reduce
risk exposures and financial commitments. For Boeing 737 MAX groundings have had a
deep financial effect on the aviation industry and a significant effect on the national
economy of the United States. No airline took delivery of the MAX during the
groundings. Boeing slowed MAX production to 42 aircraft per month until in January
2020, then halted until the airplane was reapproved by regulators. Boeing suffered
directly through increased costs, loss of sales and revenue, loss of reputation, victims’
litigation, client compensation, decreased credit rating and lowered stock value. In
January 2020, the company estimated a loss of $18.4 billion for 2019, and it reported
183 canceled MAX orders for the year. Airbus, in December 2021, was taken to court
by Qatar Airways over cracking and peeling of paint, exposing copper meshing used to
insulate the aircraft against lightning strike, of recently delivered Airbus 350. Qatar
airways is seeking more than $600m in compensation after grounding the affected
aircraft – 21 of its 53 A350 jets – claiming the paint issue is a safety risk. Airbus has
cancelled a $6bn contract with Qatar Airways for 50 of its new A321neo passenger
jets.
The immediate future for Boeing and Airbus looks equally uncertain and promising as
both have their own set of challenges to overcome and opportunities down the lane.
While Airbus believes that the future of aerospace is autonomous, connected and with
zero-emission; Boeing is poised to design and build products that are more efficient

22. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 2 2
INSIGHTS & CONCLUSION
and improve the environmental performance of its products. The world's aircraft fleet
is expected to double in next twenty years. While the more established markets of
Europe and North America are predicted to increase by around 76 and 42 percent
respectively, the Asia Pacific fleet is expected to increase by about 139 percent in
2040. The forecasted increase in aircraft fleet results from the expectation that the
next two decades will see ongoing, consistent growth in both air passengers and air
cargo. These growth forecasts may change though if significant regulatory change is
introduced to address environmental concerns. Whatever may be the case, the future
of flight and aviation industry including Airbus and Boeing looks promising in next 20
years.

23. I N N O V A T I O N & M A R K E T – A I R B U S V S B O E I N G
B O O L E A N I P C O N S U L T I N G P V T . L T D . P A G E 2 3
REFERENCES
PatBase - A Leading Commercial Patent Search Database
Espacenet – A free database by the European Patent Office (EPO)
PATENT DATABASES
Airbus Annual Reports
Boeing Annual Reports
bloomberg.com
statista.com
Flightglobal.com
Airbus press release
Boeing press release
MARKET DATA SOURCES

24. W W W . B O O L E A N I P . C O M | I N F O @ B O O L E A N I P . C O M | + 9 1 1 2 4 4 2 3 3 9 8 1
1 6 + L A N G U A G E S | 1 1 0 + J U R I S D I C T I O N S | 5 0 , 0 0 0 + H O U R S D E L I V E R E D
6 0 + H A P P Y C L I E N T S | 9 0 % C L I E N T R E T U R N R A T E | 2 4 / 7 A V A I L A B I L I T Y