Boeing’s latest estimate of 7,240 aircraft purchases for the period to 2036 is 6.3 percent higher than the U.S. planemaker’s previous prediction of 6,810 planes last year.
“China’s continuous economic growth, significant investment in infrastructure, growing middle-class and evolving airline business models support this long-term outlook,” Randy Tinseth, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of marketing, said.
“China’s fleet size is expected to grow at a pace well above the world average, and almost 20 percent of global new airplane demand will be from airlines based in China,” Tinseth said in a statement.
Tinseth said he expected more demand for widebody aircraft, adding that the falling returns now being experienced by airlines were temporary. “They are big investments, it takes time, and they will get there,” he said.
He added that there was more optimism on the long-term economic outlook, given better-than-expected economic growth in China this year, while the cargo market was also seeing a resurgence.
Read Original Article
