Boeing expects the global fleet to double through 2042, growing at a faster pace of 3.5% per year.
The US planemaker’s latest tally of industrywide deliveries over the next 20 years takes into account growing activism over jet emissions, said Darren Hulst, a Boeing vice-president of marketing. He predicts a fall-off in commercial flights that are shorter than 805km, as governments urge consumers to switch to greener transport such as trains.
Still, Boeing expects the global fleet will nearly double through 2042, growing at a faster pace — 3.5% per year — than its 2.6% forecast for annual global economic growth. Airbus predicts that 40,850 new jets will enter the commercial market over that span. The Arlington, Virginia-based manufacturer does not expect every category of jet to enjoy robust growth. Boeing reduced the numbers of air freighters and regional jets that it expected to enter the market by 1.6% and 14.6%, respectively, from last year’s forecast.