Double the jets by 2029, Boeing says

THE number of planes run by world airlines will almost double over the next 20 years, aircraft giant Boeing forecast yesterday.

The total is likely to go up from 18,890 in 2009 to 36,300 by 2029, Boeing's commercial marketing vice-president Randy Tinseth said.

Airlines will need nearly 31,000 new planes, valued at about 2,400 billion, over the next 20 years, Mr Tinseth predicted.

Of these, just under 70 per cent would be single-aisle planes, capable of carrying up to 240 passengers.

European airlines are likely to need 7,190 new aircraft, worth about 533bn, over the next 20 years, 75 per cent of them expected to be single-aisle planes.

By 2029 only about 4 per cent of planes now flying with European carriers will still be in operation, Mr Tinseth said.

He said the biggest annual growth in air travel over the next 20 years was likely to be within China, where he predicted a 7.9 per cent rise.

While the internal North America sector is now the area with the most air traffic, Asia Pacific will take over during the next few years and will enjoy annual growth of 7.1 per cent between now and 2029, he said.