Some 25,000 new passenger and freighter aircraft valued at $3.1tr will be delivered from 2009 to 2028, according to Airbus's latest Global Market Forecast. Emerging economies, evolving airline networks, expansion of low-cost carriers and the increasing number of mega-cities as well as traffic growth and the replacement of older less efficient aircraft with more eco-efficient airliners are factors driving demand for new aircraft.
Airfreight ton kilometers is forecast to increase annually by 5.2 per cent. Combined with fleet renewal, this creates a demand for some 3,440 freighters. More than 850 of these are new aircraft valued at $210bn, with the remainder converted from passenger aircraft.
