While Asia-Pacific carriers will lead demand in the
larger aircraft segments, the latest Airbus forecast
also sees the number of single aisle aircraft in the
region accelerating in the coming years. This
will be largely driven by the ongoing growth in the low
cost sector, which has increased by seven per cent
annually for the last ten years. This growth, plus
replacement cycles, will generate demand for some 6,030
new single aisle aircraft in the region.
As
with the widebody market, the average seating capacity
of single aisle aircraft in the region will also grow,
with a significant move towards the larger models
offered by the various manufacturers and higher seating
configurations. In the cargo sector, the
region will continue to dominate the global market.
According to the new forecast, the dedicated freighter
fleet operated by Asia-Pacific airlines will grow from
316 today to some 887, representing 30 per cent of the
global freighter fleet.
While many of the aircraft will be converted from
passenger models, Airbus predicts that around 251 new
production freighters will be delivered to the region
over the next two decades. As in other world regions,
around 30 per cent of the freighters will be in the 45 –
70 ton category served by mid-size widebody aircraft. “The
Asia-Pacific market is where the action will be in the
air transport market over the next 20 years,” said John
Leahy, Chief Operating Officer. “Growing economies,
bigger cities and increasing wealth will see more people
flying, driving the need for larger and more efficient
aircraft.”
The Asia-Pacific region is a core market for Airbus,
accounting for 31 per cent of all orders recorded by the
company to date. Today, there are more than 2,100 Airbus
aircraft in service with 97 operators across the region,
with another 1,800 on order with customers for future
delivery. This represents over a third of the company's
total backlog, reflecting the importance of the region
as the fastest growing market for new civil aircraft.
Airbus' forecast for the Asia-Pacific region is
derived from the company's Global Market Forecast,
which foresees a need for some 28,200 passenger and
freighter aircraft valued at nearly US$4.0 trillion
over the next 20 years. In the various size
categories the forecast predicts total demand for
1,710 very large aircraft, 6,970 twin aisle
widebodies and 19,520 single aisle aircraft.
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