Airbus Forecasts Doubling of Latin American Jetliner Market

An Airbus A350 cockpit

Airbus Group said Wednesday it sees the number of commercial jets operated in Latin America doubling over the next two decades.

The forecast indicates that the region will need 2,540 new passenger jets and freighters in that period, the value of which would be approximately $330 billion.

Air traffic in the region will grow at an average rate of 4.7%, Airbus said, a figure slightly higher than the world average of 4.6%. Airlines based in the region are growing at the rate of 5% annually, according to the report, which Airbus says would put them in “among the world’s top three fastest-growing groups of airlines.”

Airbus sees wide-body jets, which includes aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, as the largest market in the world, although the largest volume market will be single-aisle planes such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing’s 737.

Airbus forecasts that manufacturers will deliver 1,900 single-aisle planes and 550 wide-body aircraft in the period through 2034.  Today, 53% of the region’s in-service fleets consist of Airbus aircraft.

The long-haul market in the region is currently dominated by European and American airlines, with 83% and 75% respectively. The Airbus forecast sees traffic between South America and Western Europe and South America and the United States to be two of the world’s largest international traffic flows by 2034.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)