Asia-Pacific to require 17,600 new aircraft by 2040

February 1st 2022

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In a presentation on the eve of the Singapore Airshow earlier this month, Airbus said accelerated retirement of older aircraft to support decarbonisation goals, a more than doubling of the region’s air freight business in the next two decades and 5.3% Asia-Pacific passenger growth annually will result in demand for 17,600 new passenger and freighter aircraft by 2040. Read More »

In a region that is home to 55% of the world’s population, China, India and emerging economies such as Vietnam and Indonesia will be the principal drivers of growth in the Asia-Pacific, Airbus said. The region’s GDP will expand at 3.6% per year compared with the world average of 2.5% and will double in value by 2040. The middle class, who are the likeliest to travel, will increase by 1.1 billion, to 3.2 billion, and the propensity for people to travel is on track to almost triple by 2040, the Toulouse-headquartered OEM said.

Airbus divided forecast demand for the region’s 17,600 new aircraft into 13,660 small aircraft, such as its A220 and A320 family. In the medium and long-haul categories, the Asia-Pacific will drive 42% of demand: 2,470 Medium and 1,490 Large category aircraft, Airbus said.

Cargo traffic in the region also will increase at 3.6% a year, well above the global 3.1% average and will lead to a doubling in air freight in the region by 2040, Airbus said.

Taking into account strong cargo growth. Airbus forecasts a need for 2,440 freighters, of which 880 will be new-build, at airlines across the region.

In the same time frame globally, there will be demand for 39,000 new-build passenger and freighter aircraft to 2040, of which 15,250 will be for replacement, Airbus said.

“Our portfolio offers a 20%-25% fuel burn and therefore a CO₂ advantage over older aircraft. All our aircraft are certified to fly with a blend of 50% SAF, set to rise to 100% by 2030,” Airbus said.