Global aircraft fleet to double in next 2 decades led by India: Airbus

French aircraft manufacturer Airbus expects global in-service aircraft fleet to double to over 49,000 aircraft by 2044 from 24,730 aircraft at the end of 2024, aided by rapidly growing air passenger traffic in markets like India.

Airlines across the world are expected to get 43,420 new deliveries over the next two decades. This includes the replacement of around 18,930 older and less fuel-efficient aircraft.

This expansion in the fleet is forecast to create a need for new pilots, technicians, and cabin crews throughout the aviation ecosystem.

India's domestic air traffic is expected to grow at 8.9%, the world’s highest rate, between 2024 and 2044, according to Airbus Global Market Forecast 2025.

India has emerged as a significant player in the global aircraft market. Since 2023, Air India has ordered 570 aircraft from both Airbus and Boeing. Meanwhile, IndiGo has ordered over 900 Airbus planes, which now includes an additional acquisition of 60 A350 widebody jets.

These evolving markets and new city pairings are being served by Airbus’ full range of aircraft. “As these routes grow in passenger volume, the size of aircraft will follow. This upsizing is a clear Airbus advantage where commonality between the A320, A330 and A350 families means airlines can operate mixed single aisle and widebody fleet using crews with multi-type ratings,” the aerospace major said.

Despite short-term uncertainties, in the long term, passenger traffic will grow by 3.6% annually, driven by global GDP (+2.5%), urban populations (+1.2 billion) and an increase of 1.5 billion in the global middle class who represent the demographic most likely to fly, Airbus noted.

“This growth requires a need for around 43,400 new passenger and freighter aircraft deliveries over the next 20 years. Some 34,250 will be typically single aisle and 9,170 will be typically widebodies. Around 44% of these new deliveries (18,930) will replace less fuel efficient previous generation models,” it said.

Huge opportunities will exist in aircraft maintenance and efficient operations as part of the sector’s sustainability drive, said Airbus.

India has become the third-largest domestic aviation market and is poised to soon become the third-largest overall air passenger market, Union aviation minister Rammohan Naidu said last month.

India is ramping up airport infrastructure by setting up secondary airports around key metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

The country’s domestic air passenger traffic hit 165 million in 2024-25, more than doubling from 2014-15.