San Francisco, 28 August 2024 (TDI): China will more than double its commercial airplane fleet by 2043 as its aviation industry modernizes and expands to meet the growing demand for passenger and cargo air travel, according to Boeing’s newly-released 2024 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) for China.
China’s commercial aviation market for passengers and cargo continues to expand, driven by economic development and airlines building in-country networks, said Darren Hulst, Boeing vice president of commercial marketing.
As this prediction shows, China’s airlines will witness strong demand, requiring further growth of their modern fuel-efficient fleets, it added.
China’s commercial fleet will grow 4.1% annually, from 4,345 to 9,740 airplanes by 2043, and its annual passenger traffic growth of 5.9% will exceed the global average of 4.7%, according to the CMO.
Air travel in the country is forecast to become the world’s largest traffic flow, driving growth in the single-aisle fleet, which accounts for more than three-quarters of deliveries.
China will have the largest widebody fleet in the world, with demand for 1,575 new widebody airplanes.
China’s freighter fleet, including dedicated and converted models, will about triple with demand stimulated by its booming e-commerce sector, the CMO said.
Chinese carriers will require aviation services worth $780 billion to support the growing fleet, including digital solutions, modifications and maintenance.
Its airline industry will need to hire and train about 430,000 new personnel to support new pilots, maintenance technicians and cabin crew, Boeing said.
For more than fifty years, Boeing airplanes have been the mainstay of China’s cargo transportation and civil aviation passenger systems.
Boeing is the largest customer of China’s aviation manufacturing industry with over 10,000 Boeing airplanes flying with China-made parts, according to the company.
