737 MAX grounding: As Boeing sits idle, Airbus can't make jets fast enough

Airbus has been unable to take advantage of the shortfall at Boeing partly because it can't build planes fast enough

The troubles plaguing Boeing after the year-long grounding of its 737 Max plane have created an unusual opening for its chief rival, Airbus, to swoop in and grab business. There’s just one hitch: Airbus is in no position to benefit.

The European aerospace giant, which last year took the title from Boeing as the world’s biggest plane maker, has such a large backlog of orders to fill that it cannot immediately produce more of its popular narrow-body jets that airlines view as an alternative to the Max.

“It might look like a paradox, but in the short term, we don’t benefit from