Airbus sees global fleet doubling

Rising global air traffic would create demand for an additional 29,220 new aircraft by 2032, European planemaker Airbus said in its Global Market Forecast released Tuesday.

The 20-year outlook predicted particularly strong demand from emerging economies such as China, Brazil and India.

“As aviation becomes increasingly accessible in all parts of the world, future journeys will increasingly be made by air particularly to and from emerging markets," Airbus said in the report.

Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said in a statement that on average the number of people in emerging economies who take at least one flight a year was expected to increase from one fifth of the populations currently to two thirds by 2032.

Leahy also said that air travel in the Asia Pacific region would overtake that of Europe and North America by then.

On a global scale, Airbus forecast passenger numbers to double over the next 20 years, from currently 2.9 billion to 6.7 billion. The planemaker attributed the rise to a bigger global middle class, urbanization, migration and tourism. The higher demand would require a global fleet of 36,560 aircraft, which was double the number of planes in operation today, it said.

According to Airbus figures, some 10,400 planes of the total number of 29,200 new aircraft would be needed to replace existing planes. Overall, new orders for aircraft would amount to $4.4 trillion (3.3 trillion euros), the report added.

uhe/hc (AP, AFP, dpa)