Summary

• The Douglas DC-3 is one of the oldest and most produced aircraft in history, with a significant impact during World War II.
• Boeing's 737, a Guinness World Record holder for its high production rate, remains the bestselling modern jet aircraft.
• Airbus' A320, a competitor to the Boeing 737, has gained popularity and is the second most produced modern commercial jet.

In the last century, thousands of commercial aircraft have been built and delivered to customers worldwide. Some revolutionized air travel and played a significant role in shaping the global aviation industry as we know it today. With several different types of commercial aircraft being built over the years, let us look at the top five that have come out of the production line.

1. The Douglas DC-3

The DC-3 is an airplane that is older than most people on the planet today. First introduced in 1936, it became one of the most extensively manufactured aircraft in history. The total number of examples produced tallys up to 16,079 aircraft, although most were not commercial planes. Overall, 607 civil variants of the DC-3 were built and operated by airlines, including American, United, TWA, Eastern, and Delta. However, its heyday came when World War II broke out in 1939.

As well as drafting in civilian DC-3s for the war effort, more than 10,000 US military versions were built. These were given various names, including C-47, C-53, R4D, and Dakota, and were used by the armed forces of many countries for troop transport, cargo, and air ambulances. Copies were even built in Japan and the USSR as the Showa L2D and the Lisunov Li-2, respectively. Today, about 160 are thought to remain in service despite production ending in 1950.

2. The Boeing 737

Just over 56 years since its first flight, the Boeing 737 has become one of the world's most famous aircraft types. It has sold so many units that it is now in the Guinness Book of World Records. The 10,000th 737 rolled off the production line in March 2018 to be delivered to Southwest Airlines, an all-Boeing 737 airline. Before the MAX debacle and the challenges of 2020, Boeing was delivering these jets at a rate of 47 per month.

The 737 is operated by more than 5000 airlines in almost 200 countries, and at any given moment, there could be over 1,000 of the type in the sky. According to ATDB, as of October 2023, Boeing has built 11,575 of all generations of this type. About 8,189 are in active service as passenger and cargo aircraft. With numbers like that, the 737 remains the bestselling modern jet aircraft in the world.

3. The Airbus A320

The Airbus A320 family hasn't been around as long as Boeing's 737 has, but it remains a solid competitor to the American manufacturer's narrowbody. It entered service with Air France in 1988, meaning it only joined the competition two decades after the 737. However, the A320 has certainly cornered its share of the market over the last 35 years.

Like its American counterpart, the A320 comes in different variants: the A318, A319, and A321, including the neo versions. As of September 2023, a total of 11,126 have been built, while 11,083 of those have been delivered. The backlog stands at nearly 7,000 aircraft. Of the types produced, the most popular to date has been the A320ceo. Airbus has delivered 4,752 of them, while 4,273 remain in service.

However, with the improvements to the neo generation, the orders for the latest variants have been flooding in. Of these, the A320neo and A321neo have the most orders, with 4,234 and 5,422, respectively. As a family, the A320 has gained in popularity to put it in the same order of magnitude as the Boeing 737, making it the second most produced modern commercial jet in the world.

In May 2023, a new narrowbody, the COMAC C919, entered the commercial market. The aircraft is said to have been designed to rival the A320 and 737, but it will be a while before it can possibly reach the numbers attained by the other jets. Earlier this year, COMAC's Vice President said that the company plans to build 150 C919s every year for the next five years. Last month, China Eastern placed a significant order for 100 of the narrowbodies.

4. The Canadair Regional Jet

One of the more overlooked members of the commercial aircraft family is the Mirabel-produced Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ). Across its derivatives of the CRJ200 (50 seats), CRJ700 (65 seats), CRJ900 (76 seats), and CRJ1000 (100 seats), the family of aircraft is one of the most popular small jets around.

The CRJ launched in 1992 with Lufthansa. Over the years, it has become a staple of the regional transportation world, operated by the likes of Delta Connection, Endeavour Air, and Air France subsidiary HOP! However, unlike the American and European narrowbodies, the CRJ program ended in 2020 after Mirabel assembled its 1,945th aircraft. It was delivered to Delta and became the last CRJ to roll out of the production line.

Facilities were acquired by Japanese heavyweight Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), while Bombardier completed assembly of the order backlog on behalf of the Tokyo-based firm. Today, there are about 1,057 CRJs still active, carrying thousands of passengers on various regional routes annually.

5. The Boeing 727

Announced in 1960, the Boeing 727 was designed as a smaller city aircraft that could cater to lower passenger loads and shorter runways. The trijet became a staple of the short-haul market, clocking up more than 500 orders in its first two years of service. The aircraft sold well to airlines all over the world. In the US, in particular, the fleet was sizable, with operators including Delta Air Lines, Pacific Southwest, Braniff, and Pan Am.

For more than a decade, the 727 was the most extensively produced commercial aircraft, and when production ended, the total 727s delivered numbered 1,831. The 727 held the crown for most produced jet aircraft until the 1990s, when it was surpassed by the Boeing 737. A handful remain in service today, including one used to provide passengers with an antigravity experience.

Bestseller of the future? The Boeing 777

The 777 is an aircraft well-suited to the modern age. Thanks to the implementation of ETOPS, allowing twinjet aircraft to fly farther away from alternative airports, airlines are now much more inclined to rely on two-engine aircraft for their long-haul needs. The 777 has catered to this need perfectly, with Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and United Airlines being among the largest operators.

Boeing has delivered about 1,718 of them, with a backlog of nearly 400, largely for the 777X, which is still to enter service. The American manufacturer expects to deliver the first 777X, with its folding wingtips, in early 2025. If the widebody proves to be as comfortable and efficient as Boeing claims, we should see it as the perfect 747 replacement in years to come as airlines move into the next generation of widebody aircraft. However, with narrowbodies becoming increasingly popular, we'll have to wait and see if the new Triple Seven can creep its way into the top five.

Honorable mention: The Cessna 172

While it's not strictly a commercial aircraft, we couldn't talk about the most produced aircraft in the world without mentioning the Cessna 172. In production since 1956, the little aircraft has sold an incredible 44,000+ units. It's still in production today, remaining a staple of general aviation, and is occasionally used for commercial operations, too.

Have you flown on all of these most-produced aircraft? Which ones are missing from your collection? Let us know in the comments.