Airbus, Boeing lift long-term horizon
AIRBUS and Boeing raised their long-term forecasts for new aircraft demand yesterday, betting that rising wealth in Asia would continue to boost air travel and offset any short-term hits to the global economy.
The world’s two biggest planemakers also announced a flurry of multi-billion-dollar jet deals at the biennial Farnborough Airshow, which opened yesterday 72 kilometers southwest of London.
Airbus and Boeing have enjoyed years of strong sales, with rising air travel and demand for new fuel-efficient planes raising the industry’s order backlog to a record 13,500 planes at the end of 2015, or near 10 years of production at current rates.
Some analysts have cautioned that economic risks from slowing growth in China to Britain’s decision to leave the European Union could see orders start to dry up or be canceled, particularly for larger twin-aisle jets.
The planemakers remain bullish, however.
Boeing forecast airlines will need 39,620 new aircraft worth US$5.9 trillion over the next 20 years, up 4.1 percent from its estimate last year.
“Despite recent events that have impacted the financial markets, the aviation sector will continue to see long-term growth with the commercial fleet doubling in size,” said Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Boeing forecast airline passenger traffic would increase by 4.8 percent per year over the next two decades.
Airbus raised its 20-year demand forecast to 30,070 new aircraft, up 500 from its previous estimate, and saw passenger traffic rising by an average 4.5 percent per year.
“Middle classes in emerging markets will double to 3.5 billion people by 2035,” Airbus said in a statement, predicting particularly strong demand in China and India.
Some industry executives sounded more cautious.
David Joyce, chief executive of aero engines maker GE Aviation, said he did not see any need for further increases in planned airliner production which Airbus and Boeing are both considering as they strive to meet their order backlogs.
Opening the Farnborough event, British Prime Minister David Cameron finalized multi-billion-dollar deals with Boeing to buy nine P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes and to upgrade 50 Apache helicopters.
Britain’s shock decision in a referendum last month to leave the EU is providing the latest jolt to the global economy.
However, the Pentagon’s chief arms buyer said he didn’t think the decision would fundamentally alter Britain’s ties with the US military or weapons-related trade.
Among the civil aircraft deals announced at Farnborough, Virgin Atlantic ordered 12 of Airbus’s biggest twin-engined plane, the A350-1000, in a deal worth US$4.4 billion at list prices.
That was a shot in the arm for the 366-seat jet whose sales have slowed as Boeing develops a larger version of its 777 model.
Virgin Atlantic said it still had options to buy six of Airbus’s A380 superjumbos, but industry sources have said that long-deferred deal is likely to be canceled.
Airbus and Boeing said demand for single-aisle jets, not twin-aisled planes or four-engined superjumbos, were behind the increases in their 20-year forecasts.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
- RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证:沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证:31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证:0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证:沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证:沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.