Boeing 737
Boeing · In production (MAX series)
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The numbers
Side by side
| Boeing 737 | Airbus A320 | Difference | Bigger | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 39.52 m | 44.51 m | 4.99 m | Airbus A320 +13% |
| Wingspan | 35.92 m | 35.80 m | 0.12 m | Boeing 737 |
| Height | 12.30 m | 11.76 m | 0.54 m | Boeing 737 +5% |
| MTOW | 82 t | 97 t | 15 t | Airbus A320 +18% |
| Typical seats | 178 | 180 | 2 | Airbus A320 +1% |
| Range | 6,480 km | 7,400 km | 920 km | Airbus A320 +14% |
| Max speed | 876 km/h | 871 km/h | 5 km/h | Boeing 737 +1% |
The verdict
Which is actually bigger?
The most consequential rivalry in aviation, and the numbers are almost boringly close — a metre here, half a metre there. That is not coincidence: both are sized to the same gates, the same airbridges, the same 150-seat sweet spot. The real difference is under the skin. The A320 was fly-by-wire from 1987. The 737 is a 1967 airframe stretched, re-engined and recertified for six decades — and that constraint is precisely why the MAX's engines sit so far forward on the wing.
The Airbus A320 family is the longer of the two, at 44.51 m against 39.52 m — a difference of 4.99 m. Wingspan tells the opposite story: the Boeing 737 spreads 0.12 m wider, so which one is "bigger" depends entirely on which dimension you care about.
The best-selling airliner in history. The world's best-selling airliner family. The silhouettes above are drawn at true relative scale from the sourced figures on each aircraft's page — same metres, same pixels, no artistic licence.
On capacity, the Airbus A320 family carries more people in a typical layout — 180 against 178.
Airbus A320 family
Airbus · In production
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