Airbus Corporation, the Boeing Company and Embraer Regional Jets are reworking their market expansion plans to outpace one another to meet delivery schedules with airlines, which have placed orders in the last few years.
Experts said Airbus may be leading the pack, with the latest figures, indicating higher delivery of airplanes to airlines, including Nigerian carriers in the last few months compared to its long-running rival Boeing, which has been grappling with myriad of concerns bordering on its equipment in the last few years.
Airbus, it was learnt is penetrating the Nigerian market with ongoing discussions with the Federal Government to partner indigenous carriers for fleet renewal / expansion. Sources hinted that Airbus is on the verge of sealing a deal with the Akwa Ibom State Government for fixing of airplanes at the Maintenance and Repair Overhaul , facility at the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo, the State’s capital.
Speaking in an interview, Managing Director of AeroDynamics Advisory , Richard Aboulafia said :” What used to be a duopoly has become two-thirds Airbus, one-third Boeing.According to the 2023 Airbus Global Market Forecast , airlines serving Nigeria will require approximately 160 passenger and freight aircraft by 2042.