Global demand to include 990 single-aisle (10-40 tonnes) aircraft & 890 mid-size widebody (40-80 tonnes) aircraft.
European aircraft maker Airbus is expecting the demand for freighters to reach 2,440 aircraft over the next 20 years with nearly 900 of these new-built. “Airbus forecasts that demand for passenger traffic will grow annually by 3.6 percent (2019-2041 CAGR – Compound Annual Growth Rate) over the next 20 years,” says the Global Market Forecast (GMF) 2022-2041.
Freight traffic is seen increasing 3.2 percent during the same period, the report said. Airbus sees demand for 39,490 new passenger and freighter aircraft over the next 20 years of which 31,620 would be single aisle and 7,870 would be widebody planes. “Only 20 percent of the current in service fleet is the latest generation fuel efficient aircraft. Replacement of older generation aircraft is one of the most straightforward ways to decarbonise the sector.” Strong demand for air cargo will be supported by global international trade, which is expected to double in the next 20 years, the GMF said.
Express cargo is expected to increase from 17 percent of air cargo traffic to 25 percent by 2041 boosted by e-commerce. General cargo will continue to dominate the market with a CAGR of 2.7 percent during 2019-2041. The global demand for 2,400 freighters over 2022-2041 will include 990 single aisle (10-40 tonnes), 890 mid-size widebody (40-80 tonnes) and 560 large widebody (>80 tonnes) aircraft. World freighter fleet in service is seen at 3,070 aircraft by 2041. Airbus is expecting new generation passenger aircraft to represent more than 95 percent of the fleet by 2041.
