Boeing has notched up its predictions for aircraft demand in the next 20 years in its current market outlook, published as the UK’s Farnborough Airshow got underway.
The planemaker raised its forecast demand for new aircraft over the next 20 years, by 4.1% to 39,620 and put the total value of the order book at $5.9 trillion.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ vice president of marketing, Randy Tinseth, played down recent upsets to the global economy, saying: "Despite recent events that have impacted the financial markets, the aviation sector will continue to see long-term growth with the commercial fleet doubling in size."
Growth in the wide body segment, forecast at 9,100 planes, will be driven by a continued shift from very large aircraft to small and medium wide bodies such as the 787, 777 and 777X, Tinseth predicted.
However, the single-aisle market would drive much of the increase, particularly low-cost carriers and airlines in emerging markets. Over 28,000 new planes will be needed in this segment alone, an increase of more than 5% over last year, spearheaded by the new Boeing MAX 8 and the current 737-800.
Tinseth added: “Planes that size already account for 76% of the global single-aisle backlog, and our products have the clear advantage in that space."
Source: Boeing
