These are the aircraft from Boeing, Airbus and others that should be entering mass production in 2026

A wave of new aircraft is lining up for mass production in 2026.

Some programs are finally shaking off years of delays, while others are only reaching the runway after complete reinventions.

What’s left is a blend of next-gen long-haulers and last-minute certification pushes.

And next year is shaping up to be the one they finally take off.

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From Airbus to Boeing: The aircraft actually expected to hit production in 2026

For all the noise across the industry, only a handful of programs have solid 2026 momentum behind them, and right at the front is the Airbus A350-1000ULR. 

This is the jet Qantas has been waiting on for its Project Sunrise flights – the ultra-long-haul missions linking Sydney directly with cities like London. 

Airbus has confirmed the first delivery window for late 2026.

Then there’s Russia’s next flagship narrowbody, the Irkut MC-21-310. 

Sanctions reshaped it mid-development, forcing the move to an all-domestic configuration and creating delays.

But the program is now publicly targeting serial production in 2026. 

It’s positioned as Russia’s direct alternative to the A321, and while most customers are state-aligned, the aircraft itself has been engineered to modern competitive standards.

And finally, Boeing’s two long-running MAX holdouts – the 737-MAX7 and 737-MAX10 – are pointed at 2026 for certification. 

Both variants have dragged through years of regulatory back-and-forth, but airlines remain committed, and Boeing continues to signal that 2026 is the realistic goalpost for getting them officially cleared. 

That means the first production-rate builds should begin the moment certification lands.

The ones not expected for 2026, but still worth watching

Not everything lining the runway is ready for a 2026 debut, and some projects are clearly running on longer timelines.

The Airbus A350F, for example, has slipped past its original timeline.

It’s deep into development but unlikely to reach the assembly rhythm required for true mass production before 2027. 

And the Airbus A330MRTT+ tanker concept is promising, especially for air forces looking to modernize, but it’s still too early in its cycle to expect genuine rollout momentum anytime soon.

Russia’s widebody and regional programs fall into a similar rhythm. 

The Ilyushin IL-96-400M, Yakovlev SJ-100M, and Tupolev TU-214 continue to evolve under domestic demand, but none of them has the production pipeline or certification clarity needed for a true 2026 ramp-up. 

They’re important aircraft for their markets, just not on the same immediate timeline.

If anything, this split paints a pretty accurate picture of where global aviation stands: some programs sprint toward the future, others stall in place, and a few are simply fighting to stay alive. 

And 2026 is the year those paths start to diverge for good.

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