Boeing says China will account for 20% of global plane demand

Beijing: China will account for a fifth of the world’s new aircraft deliveries over the next 20 years, driven by above average economic growth and booming demand for domestic air travel, according to Boeing.

In its Commercial Market Outlook released Wednesday, the US planemaker said China will need 8,560 new commercial aircraft through 2042, including 6,470 narrowbodies such as the 737 Max.

Two-thirds of the new deliveries will be for fleet growth, while the rest will replace older jets. As such, China’s commercial fleet will more than double to nearly 9,600 planes over the next 20 years, Boeing said.

Boeing’s China business was badly hurt by the grounding of its top-selling 737 Max long after the jet was allowed to resume flying in most other places. Last month, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News that the company was preparing to start China deliveries again for the first time in four years.

Boeing also forecasts that China will need 134,000 pilots, 138,000 technicians and 161,000 cabin crew to serve the growing market.