India Will Need 2,210 Planes in Next 20 Years: Airbus

Backed by the buoyant aviation market, India will require 2,210 new aircraft over the next 20 years and that fleet could comprise 1,770 new small and 440 medium and large aircraft, Head of Airline Marketing India and South Asia, Airbus, Brent McBratney said. To serve its growing aviation industry, India will require an additional 34,000 pilots and 45,000 technicians by 2040, according to Airbus’ latest India Market Forecast. Over the next decade, India will grow to have the largest population in the world, its economy will grow the fastest among the G20 nations and a burgeoning middle-class will spend more on air travel. As a result, passenger traffic in India will grow at 6.2 per cent per annum by 2040, the fastest among the major economies and well above the global average of 3.9 per cent.

According to Airbus, India has witnessed an upward trend in the growth of air traffic over the last ten years - with domestic traffic growing almost three-fold and international traffic more than doubling. “We have seen India’s domestic market develop strongly with our flagship A320 aircraft. It is time now for Indian carriers to unlock the potential of international travel in and out of India, leveraging the country’s demographic, economic and geographic dividends,” said Remi Maillard, President and MD, Airbus India & South Asia. The complete Airbus product line comprises the A220, the world’s best-selling A320 family, the mid-size wide body A330/A330neo and the long-range leader, the A350.