Asia-Pacific Needs 12,810 New Aircraft in Next 20 years: Airbus

Airbus on Tuesday said the Asia-Pacific region would need 12,810 new aircraft in the next two decades to meet increasing passenger demand.

In its latest forecast for the region, and based on a 5.6 percent annual growth of passenger traffic, Airbus estimated demand for aircraft worth 2 trillion U.S. dollars in the next 20 years, representing 40 percent of global demand.

“Asia-Pacific will continue to experience stronger growth than any other world region as more people fly more often,” said John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer (customers).

“Airbus will be especially well placed to respond to this demand in every size category. From 100 to over 500 seats, and for everything from short regional flights to the world’s longest commercial services, we have the right products to meet the needs of airlines in this fast-growing market,” he added.

In 2015, the European plane maker won 421 net orders from 17 airlines and firms in the region, which accounted for 39 percent of its net order intake last year of 1,080 aircraft.

Airbus delivered 282 new aircraft, or 44 percent of all new planes manufactured over the period.

“The Asia-Pacific region has traditionally been one of our strongest markets. We expect this trend to continue in the coming years, especially in the wide-body market where the A350 XWB is setting new standards in the 300-400 seat category,” Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier said.

Feb. 16, 2016 on XinhuaNet

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