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Airbus, Boeing forecast up to 1,740 orders from India by 2034
March 24th 2016
Airbus and Boeing forecast Indian carriers will order up to 1,740 new aircraft to 2034. The Toulouse OEM predicted 1,600 frames will be needed while the Americans were more optimistic and said that the market requires 1,740 aircraft. Read More » Of these, Airbus says 75%, or 1,200, will be single-aisle aircraft. Boeing puts the figure at 86%, or 1,460 airplanes.
Both OEMs cited lower fuel prices, increasing numbers of Indians wealthy enough to afford air travel and improved airport infrastructure for the demand boost. Airbus said Indian passengers are expected to take four times as many flights as they do today.
By 2025, India is expected to have overtaken China as the world’s most populous nation and, with a 600 million-strong middle class looking to travel, will become the world’s leading emerging aviation market.
India’s aviation industry is predicted to grow at 8.4% annually over the next 20 years, well above the world average growth of 4.6%. In 2015, India Directorate General of Civil Aviation data said passenger numbers grew 21%.
Airbus has been leading the race in India, at least as far as single-aisle jets are concerned. Two weeks ago, it delivered the Asia-Pacific’s first A320neo to Gurgaon-based IndiGo Airlines. IndiGo operates 103 A320 Family aircraft and has orders for 530 more, including 480 neos.
Last week Airbus committed to establishing a pilot and maintenance training centre near Delhi, scheduled to open in 2018 and be equipped with A320 full-flight simulators. The centre expects to train approximately 800 pilots and 200 maintenance engineers a year. Airbus has been operating a centre in Bangalore since 2007.
Meanwhile, the aircraft OEMs are continuing their discussions with LCC, SpiceJet, for an order for approximately 100 narrow bodies, potentially worth up to $11 billion. "Airbus is being very aggressive and I don't blame them. We have a relationship with SpiceJet that dates back to 2002. We have worked with them in good and bad times," Boeing senior vice-president for Asia-Pacific and India sales, Dinesh Keskar, told Reuters last week.
