Region To See 66 Percent Growth In Passenger Fleet

The U.S. and Canada will require 5,901 new passenger aircraft of more than 100 seats between today and 2030, according to the recently released Airbus Global Market Forecast (GMF). In that same time period, there will be a need for 414 new freighter aircraft. This total of 6,315 new aircraft deliveries has an estimated value of $648 billion. These region-specific figures were presented Thursday in Washington, D.C. by Airbus Chief Operating Officer – Customers, John Leahy.

By 2030, North America will rank third, behind Asia-Pacific and Europe, in world traffic. With a 20-year growth in revenue passenger miles of 3.3 percent, North America remains one of the world’s strongest markets. In fact, today, and in 2030, domestic U.S. traffic is and will continue to be the largest single air traffic flow region on the planet.

Even with its size and maturity, North American inter-regional traffic has grown by 11 percent over the last 10 years. Currently, more than 25 percent of the total world revenue passenger miles are carried on U.S. and Canadian airlines.

While the growth rate of the North American market is less dramatic than in some expanding regions of the world such as China and India, the U.S. and Canada have the highest percentage of existing aircraft that will need to be replaced in the coming decades. Specifically, 41 percent of the aircraft currently in service in North America will need to be replaced over the next 20 years – greater than in any other region of the world.

Overall, the market for passenger aircraft in North America is expected to grow by 66 percent over the next 20 years. The growth for dedicated freighters in the region is even greater, with a growth rate in the same period of some 80 percent.  Globally, by 2030, some 27,800 new aircraft valued at $3.5 trillion will be required to satisfy the robust future market demand.

FMI: www.airbus.com