Airbus forecasts demand for over 19,000 new aircraft in Asia Pacific by 2045

KUALA LUMPUR: Asia Pacific will need 19,120 new passenger aircraft over the next 20 years, of which about 6,373 will be for fleet replacement and the remaining 12,747 to support airline growth, according to Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast (GMF) for 2026-2045.

Airbus said demand in Asia Pacific represents 45 per cent of the total global demand for 42,060 new aircraft over the next two decades.

"Of the 19,120 new passenger aircraft needed over the next two decades in the Asia Pacific region, one-third will be for replacement and the remainder for growth.

"Driving this growth are robust economic fundamentals. By 2045, the middle-income population in Asia Pacific is projected to reach three billion people. Coupled with rapid urbanisation, air travel is increasingly becoming the essential lifeline for social and economic prosperity," Airbus said in a statement today.

Asia Pacific is also expected to account for the largest share of global widebody deliveries, with demand for 3,420 new aircraft, representing almost half of all new widebody aircraft.

Airbus said it is well positioned to meet the region's widebody jet requirements with its A330neo and A350 families.

"Together, the two product lines have seen Airbus increase its share of the widebody backlog in the region to 50 per cent over the past three years, with the A350 now firmly established as the preferred choice of airlines in the region for long-range intercontinental flights," it said.

The European planemaker added that the A350-1000 has emerged as the natural successor to the Boeing B777-300ER.

As for narrowbody aircraft, Airbus forecast that Asia Pacific would need 15,700 aircraft in the 100-244-seat category by 2045.

Airbus said the demand reflects continued domestic and intra-regional network expansion, driven by fleet replacement and long-term capacity growth.

The manufacturer also said new airport infrastructure and longer-range single-aisle aircraft such as the A321XLR and A220 are enabling airlines to open new city pairs, bypass traditional mega-hubs and connect secondary cities.

Airbus said the A220 has created more than 400 new routes globally, while it sees potential for the aircraft to open more than 800 new unserved city pairs in Asia Pacific.

Airbus Asia Pacific president Anand Stanley said airlines are decentralising beyond traditional hub-and-spoke models to connect secondary cities directly to the global economy, while also expanding their long-haul networks.

"By leveraging latest-generation aircraft technology, carriers in the region are rewriting connectivity maps and driving the region's long-term economic prosperity," he said.

Airbus said passenger traffic in Asia Pacific is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.1 per cent, compared with the global average of 3.9 per cent, with traffic volumes expected to more than double by 2045.

As at end-August 2026, 119 airlines in Asia Pacific operated 5,000 Airbus commercial aircraft, giving the manufacturer a 58 per cent market share.

Airbus said nearly 3,500 of its aircraft are also on order for future delivery, representing 61 per cent of the backlog among all aircraft manufacturers in the above-100-seat jet market.