Major aircraft manufacturers by sector, including Airbus, Boeing, regional jets, business aviation, military airframers and helicopter makers.
Major aircraft manufacturers include Airbus, Boeing, Embraer and COMAC in commercial jets; ATR and De Havilland Canada in regional aircraft; Textron Aviation, Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault, Cirrus, Piper and Diamond in business and general aviation; Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Saab and AVIC in defence; and Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo, Bell, Sikorsky and Robinson in rotorcraft.
There is no official all-purpose ranking. For our Aviation & Real-World Flying coverage, we separate aircraft manufacturing companies by market because an airliner builder, a military prime contractor and a light-aircraft producer cannot be compared sensibly using one measure.
Major aircraft manufacturers by sector
The most useful list groups the main aircraft manufacturers by the kinds of aeroplane or rotorcraft they produce and support.
| Sector | Major manufacturers | Representative aircraft or role |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial jetliners | Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, COMAC, United Aircraft Corporation | Airbus A220, A320, A330 and A350; Boeing 737, 777 and 787; Embraer E-Jets; COMAC C909 and C919; UAC SJ-100 and MC-21 programmes |
| Regional turboprops and utility aircraft | ATR, De Havilland Canada, Textron Aviation, Daher, Pilatus | ATR 42 and 72; Dash 8 fleet; Cessna Caravan and SkyCourier; Kodiak and PC-12 |
| Business aircraft | Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault Aviation, Textron Aviation, Embraer, Pilatus, Honda Aircraft | Gulfstream, Global, Challenger, Falcon, Citation, Praetor, PC-24 and HondaJet families |
| Light general aviation | Textron Aviation, Cirrus, Piper, Diamond Aircraft, Daher, Tecnam | Cessna and Beechcraft types, Cirrus SR aircraft, Piper PA families, Diamond DA aircraft and Daher TBM models |
| Military fixed-wing aircraft | Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Airbus Defence and Space, BAE Systems, Dassault, Saab, Leonardo, AVIC, UAC, Hindustan Aeronautics, Korea Aerospace Industries, Turkish Aerospace | Fighters, bombers, transports, trainers, patrol aircraft and special-mission platforms, including consortium programmes |
| Helicopters | Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo, Bell Textron, Sikorsky, Boeing, Robinson, Russian Helicopters, AVIC | Light piston helicopters, civil and military turbine helicopters, and heavy transport rotorcraft |
This is a representative global list rather than a register of every certificated producer. Active production is not the only test: a large in-service fleet, continuing parts supply or responsibility for airworthiness support can keep a manufacturer important after assembly of a model has stopped.
Which companies are the two major commercial aeroplane manufacturers?
Airbus and Boeing are the two major manufacturers most people mean when discussing large commercial passenger jets. They dominate the internationally marketed mainline airliner sector, but they do not dominate every class of aircraft.
Both companies offer narrow-body and wide-body families, yet their cockpit conventions, flight-control philosophies and product histories differ. Our guide to the company-level differences between Boeing and Airbus aircraft explains those distinctions without treating every model as identical.
Their best-known narrow-body competitors are the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families. The more focused comparison of the A320 and 737 families covers the differences that matter at aircraft level.
What other aeroplane manufacturers are there besides Airbus and Boeing?
Other important commercial manufacturers include Embraer, COMAC, United Aircraft Corporation, ATR and De Havilland Canada, although they serve different capacities, regions and propulsion categories.
Embraer is a leading producer of regional and smaller commercial jets. COMAC produces the C909, formerly called the ARJ21, and the C919, with its strongest market presence in China. United Aircraft Corporation oversees Russian civil programmes including the SJ-100 and MC-21.
ATR specialises in regional turboprops rather than direct A320 or 737 competitors. De Havilland Canada remains significant through the Dash 8 fleet and continuing programme support, while Textron Aviation, Daher and Pilatus are major names in utility and short-haul-capable aircraft. Production and certification status must be checked for the specific model and operating country.
Historic manufacturers and in-service fleets
Historic manufacturer names still matter when identifying older aircraft, researching fleets or searching a simulator library. McDonnell Douglas merged into Boeing, Fokker stopped producing complete airliners, and Tupolev and Ilyushin sit within United Aircraft Corporation. Antonov remains a recognised aircraft company with a major in-service legacy, but its production position is not comparable with Airbus or Boeing.
Is an aircraft manufacturer the same as an aircraft brand or ‘merk pesawat’?
No. The Indonesian search phrase ‘merk pesawat’ means aircraft or aeroplane brand, but a familiar brand may be a subsidiary, a product name, a former builder or a marque owned by a larger parent company.
The airframer normally designs, certifies and integrates the complete aircraft. The parent company may own the airframer, while the type certificate holder is the organisation legally responsible for the approved design. Those names can differ after mergers or programme transfers.
- Textron Aviation produces aircraft under the Cessna and Beechcraft brands.
- Gulfstream Aerospace is part of General Dynamics, although its aircraft are sold as Gulfstreams.
- Sikorsky is owned by Lockheed Martin and continues to use the Sikorsky name.
- ATR is a joint venture owned by Airbus and Leonardo but operates under its own manufacturer name.
- Programme ownership can change: the Bombardier CSeries became the Airbus A220, while the Dash 8 programme moved from Bombardier to De Havilland Canada.
The term OEM is also broader than airframer. An engine, avionics or landing-gear company can be the original equipment manufacturer of its own component without manufacturing the complete aircraft.
Airframe makers are not engine makers
The engine manufacturer does not normally manufacture the aeroplane carrying that engine. GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Safran and CFM International supply propulsion systems; CFM International itself is a joint company of GE Aerospace and Safran.
A mistake we see often is reading the badge on an engine nacelle and treating it as the aircraft maker. The airline name and paint scheme are not proof either; our explanation of what an aircraft livery actually identifies covers that distinction.
Identifying who made a particular aircraft
The reliable method is to establish the exact type and then distinguish its original builder, present type certificate holder and support organisation.
- Find the precise designation. Use the aircraft data plate, approved flight documentation or official registration record rather than guessing from its outline or colours.
- Check which answer the context requires. Fleet history usually calls for the original manufacturer; maintenance and airworthiness work requires the organisation named in the applicable approved documentation.
- Account for transferred programmes. An aircraft can have one original builder, another present brand and a third parent company.
- Search historic aliases in simulators. Older aircraft menus and add-ons may file an A220 under CSeries or Bombardier, an MD-80 under McDonnell Douglas, and Cessna or Beechcraft aircraft separately from Textron Aviation.
What makes an aircraft manufacturer ‘major’?
There is no universal threshold; the right measure depends on why the list is being made.
- For commercial aviation: compare deliveries, order books, active fleets, certification reach, operator numbers and worldwide support.
- For aircraft owners: parts availability, service coverage and continued type support may matter more than company revenue.
- For military aviation: distinguish the prime contractor and final integrator from consortium partners, engine makers and systems suppliers.
- For historical research and simulation: include legacy manufacturers and former programme names because aircraft and add-ons often remain catalogued under them.
If a question expects only the two main plane manufacturers in global airline service, the answer is Airbus and Boeing. For aviation as a whole, a sector-based list is the accurate answer.