There's no big surprise in the 2013 edition of Boeing's Current Market Outlook, its 20-year forecast. Aggregate numbers for the total value the market will reach in 2032 and the orders expected by then—$4.8 trillion, and 35,000, respectively—have inched up a bit from the 2012 forecast, by $300 billion and 1,000 aircraft.

Boeing's 737 MAX development team expects to achieve a firm configuration of the more fuel-efficient single-aisle transport in July. The company is so confident about production that it is hinting the airplane's service entry may inch forward from the current plans of fourth-quarter 2017.

The Airbus A380, which began revenue services more than five years ago, has had its fair share of praise and problems. But a perceptible drop in sales over the past three years has the manufacturer hoping that the program is simply ahead of its time, and that the shift away from the very large long-haul aircraft is not structural.

Boeing CEO McNerney to suppliers: Share the pain

The commercial aircraft industry is on a run as the Paris air show is underway this week. Demand for fuel-efficient transports has pushed the combined backlogs of Boeing and Airbus to more than 9,000 aircraft, a record. Last year alone, those companies increased collective sales by more than $20 billion. And deliveries are likely to hit a new high this year as Boeing and Airbus strive to meet surging demand from high-growth markets, particularly the Asia-Pacific area.

In Europe and the U.S., new leaders face old challenges

New Investment To Back AirAsia X Growth.

With flight-testing of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered Airbus A350-900 getting underway, and rig tests of a scaled compressor for General Electric's GE9X about to begin for Boeing's upcoming 777X, the scene is set for an epic new chapter in the ongoing battle of the big fans.