34,000 new planes needed in 20 years

THE world airline fleet is likely to double over the next 20 years, Boeing has forecast.

Global airlines will need 34,000 new planes worth £2,900 billion, the US aircraft manufacturing giant added.

European airlines will need 7,760 aircraft worth £620bn, Boeing predicted at a media conference in London yesterday. The biggest demand will come from the Asia Pacific region, with airlines there likely to take delivery of more than 12,000 planes in the next two decades.

A total of 23,240 single-aisle planes – carrying 90 to 200 passengers – will be needed, while airlines are likely to want 7,950 twin-aisle planes, which can seat 200-400 passengers.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes marketing vice-president Randy Tinseth said: “The world’s aviation market is broader, deeper and more diverse than we’ve ever seen it.”