China will need 180 new widebody freighter aircraft through to 2036, and the Asia Pacific region will require 320, Boeing predicts in its annual Current Market Outlook.
Boeing says it projects demand for 7,240 new aircraft over the next 20 years valued at nearly $1.1 trillion, with the majority being single-aisle units, with 5,420 required at a value of $570 billion.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of marketing, Randy Tinseth says: “China’s continuous economic growth, significant investment in infrastructure, growing middle-class and evolving airline business models support this long-term outlook.”
He adds: “China’s fleet size is expected to grow at a pace well above the world average, and almost 20 per cent of global new airplane demand will be from airlines based in China.”
The widebody fleet is expected to require 1,670 new aircraft as airlines shift to small and medium widebody units, while very large widebody aircraft will be reserved for the freighter market.
The forecast says air cargo in the Asia Pacific region is expected to grow by 4.7 per cent per year, and carriers in the region are expected to need 320 new production freighters and 630 converted freighters.
