Airbus Expects Global Passenger Numbers To Double By 2045

 LONDON/FRANKFURT, July 8 (NNN-dpa) -- European aircraft manufacturer Airbus said on Wednesday that it expects air traffic to continue growing over the next two decades, predicting that passenger numbers will double to around 10 billion a year by 2045, based on an average annual growth rate of 3.9 per cent, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

Similar estimates have already been published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Airbus, a competitor to Boeing, expects demand for more than 42,000 aircraft over this period, with just under half (19,820) needed solely to replace existing jets and 22,240 earmarked for growth, according to its global market outlook. 

Around 19 per cent of the new fleet would need to be wide-body aircraft, it said.

The drivers of demand are said to be urbanisation, economic growth and a growing middle class. 

Airbus believes air travel will become more decentralised in future, as smaller towns rather than major cities are expected to drive growth.

It also sees the emergence of new connections between medium-sized towns away from major hubs. Fuel-efficient short and medium-haul jets are therefore expected to remain in particularly high demand. 

The manufacturer pointed to its own order book, which currently stands at more than 9,000 aircraft.

--NNN-dpa