Airbus upgrades 20-year forecast of plane demand

Industrywide deliveries expected to total 42,430, up 4% from previous prediction

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Airbus on July 15 revised up its 20-year demand forecast for jetliners as many airlines modernise long-haul fleets and Asia’s surging economies lock into air travel.

The world’s largest plane maker predicted in an annual report on jet industry trends that the global fleet would more than double over the next two decades to 48,230 planes.

Airbus predicted industrywide deliveries of 42,430 new airplanes over the next 20 years, including 41,490 passenger jets, with both figures up 4 per cent since the previous survey.

Airbus divides its demand forecasts into trips that are typically carried out on single-aisle planes, the industry’s most-sold models, and the marathon segment for wide-body jets.