Middle East Carriers Forecast To Double Fleet

Middle East carriers will double their total fleet size to 3,320 aircraft over the next two decades, Airbus said in its Global Market Forecast.

The Middle East will need around 2,590 new aircraft by 2036, with 520 older generation aircraft due to be retired. An additional 2,070 aircraft will be needed for growth, and 730 planes are expected to remain in service over the period.

The forecast sees demand for 1,080 single-aisle aircraft, 1,080 twin-aisle aircraft, and 430 very large aircraft over the next two decades.

Middle East demand for new aircraft is valued by Airbus at USD$600 billion, out of the world market total of $5.3 trillion. The region’s current order list is for 1,319 aircraft, of which 687 are single-aisle, 409 twin-aisle and 162 very large aircraft.

The Global Market Forecast says the region’s passenger traffic will grow by 5.9 percent annually until 2036, above the expected global average of 4.4 percent.

Routes to Latin America will see the biggest growth from the Middle East, rising by 8.5 percent a year to 2036. Freight traffic is forecast to grow by an annual 3.8 percent in the same timeframe.