05 November 2009

South Pacific aircraft orders to soar

TOULOUSE - Between 2009 and 2028, carriers in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands will require 631 aircraft valued at US$87 billion to satisfy the strongest demand for air travel out of any of the worldÃ¢â¬â¢s developed markets, according to AirbusÃ¢â¬â¢s Global Market Forecast.

Emerging economies, evolving airline networks, low cost carrier expansion, an increasing number of dynamic mega-cities, growing urbanisation, as well as traffic growth and the need to replace older aircraft with more eco-efficient airliners are all factors driving demand.

The regionÃ¢â¬â¢s fleet will more than double from 338 passenger aircraft today to 698 by 2028. Of these, 360 will be additional aircraft for growth, and 271 to replace ageing fleets.

The forecast anticipates long-term resilience of Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPK) despite cyclical effects.

Airbus anticipates the region will average annual passenger growth rates of five per cent over the next five to 20 years which is higher than the world average 4.7 per cent.

More typical of an emerging market, the regionÃ¢â¬â¢s traffic growth will be unmatched by any developed aviation region in the next 20 years.