Is It an Airbus or Boeing? A Side-by-Side Comparison

Most of the popular large airliners in service worldwide are built by Airbus and Boeing, but telling these manufacturers and models apart can be difficult. Many people want to know how to tell if they are looking at an Airbus or Boeing aircraft.

Included on this page is a quick-and-easy, side-by-side identification of the differences between the common Boeing and Airbus jet airliners of the day.

For complete spotting tips on these two leading airplane manufacturers, visit our Boeing Commercial Jet Airliner Spotting Guide and Airbus Commercial Jet Airliner Spotting Guide.

How to tell the difference between Airbus and Boeing Airliners

For starters, Airbus airliners are designated as A3xx models, e.g., A320, A330 and A350, and the A220. Boeing airliners are numbered in the 7x7 format, like 737, 747, 777 and 787.

Here are some tips on how to distinguish frequently seen airliners from Airbus and Boeing ...

A Few Notable Differences Between Boeing and Airbus Jet Airliners

The classic Boeing airliner has a "pointed nose" as seen here on a 737. Many also have angled "V-shaped" side flight deck windows as seen on the 737, 757, 767 and 777.	The typical narrow-body Airbus airliner features a "rounded nose" with the side windshield straight across the bottom. The rear cockpit window is "notched" on the A300, A310, A318, A319, A320, A321, A330 and A340.
Comparison of the typical Boeing and Airbus flight deck window design and configuration

But there are always exceptions! Like in the new Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.  Shown below is the fuselage nose and windshield configuration of the Airbus A350 (top) with its "masked cockpit" and Boeing 787 (bottom).

 

Comparison of typical Boeing wide-body tail structure (top) with a typical Airbus structure (bottom) which has more of a straight fuselage alignment across the bottom of the tail

Boeing and Airbus Airliner Operations at Night

While spotting airliners during the day can sometimes be difficult, nighttime air operations make the process even harder.

One way to tell Boeing and Airbus airliners apart at night is by examining the pattern of the white light at the tip of the wing, known as the strobe. Boeing wing strobe lights flash only once, while Airbus airliners flash twice in rapid succession.

Boeing 737 vs Airbus A320 Shown in this chart is a side-by-side comparison of the narrow-body, single-aisle Boeing 737 (top) and the Airbus A320 (bottom). See more Boeing 737 photographs and spotting tips See Airbus 320 photographs and spotting tips

Airbus A321 vs Boeing 757 Side-by-side comparison of the narrow-body Airbus A321 (top) and the Boeing 757 (bottom). Note that the A321 has two 2-wheel main gear assemblies, while the 757 has two 4-wheel landing gear. See more Boeing 757 photographs and spotting tips See more Airbus 321 photographs and spotting tips

Boeing 767 vs Airbus A330 Two popular wide-body jetliners are similar in overall appearance. The Boeing 767 (top) and Airbus A330 (bottom) are twin-engine, wide-body airliners. The main landing gear on the Boeing 767 lean to the front, while those on the A330 lean to the rear. See more Boeing 767 photographs and spotting tips See Airbus 330 photographs and spotting tips

Boeing 787-9 vs Airbus A350-900 New competitors in the wide-body marketplace are the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350. Their overall appearance is similar. Shown below is a side-by-side comparison highlighting the differences between the Boeing 787-9 (top) and Airbus A350-900 (below)

Airbus A350-1000 vs the Boeing 777-300 How to tell the difference between a Boeing 777-300 and Airbus A350-1000. Shown below is a side-by-side view of the characteristics of the wide-body Airbus A350-1000 (top) and Boeing 777-300 (bottom) See more Boeing 777 photographs and spotting tips Read more about the Airbus A350

Airbus A380 vs Boeing 747 Boeing and Airbus both feature wide-body jumbo airliners in their product line. Here is a side-by-side view showing how to distinguish the Boeing 747 (top) and Airbus A380 (below). See more Boeing 747 photographs and spotting tips More Airbus A380 photographs and spotting tips

 

Spotting Guides for Boeing and Airbus Airliners

Airbus Commercial Aircraft		Boeing Commercial Aircraft
Wide-Body	Narrow-Body	Wide-Body	Narrow-Body
Airbus A300	Airbus A220	Boeing 747	Boeing 707
Airbus A310	Airbus A318	Boeing 767	Boeing 717
Airbus A330	Airbus A319	Boeing 777	Boeing 727
Airbus A340	Airbus A320	Boeing 787	Boeing 737
Airbus A350	Airbus A321		Boeing 757
Airbus A380