By Adam Whittaker

Airbus said it expects passenger traffic to grow 3.6% annually over the long term, led by growth in domestic India flights and across Asia.

The plane manufacturer said that the growth in air travel will require 43,400 new passenger and freighter aircraft deliveries over the next 20 years. Around 34,250 will be single aisle and 9,170 will be widebodies, it said.

Airbus expects a doubling in the global in-service fleet to above 49,000 aircraft by 2044.

Passenger traffic will continue to grow despite short-term uncertainties, it said. The rise will be driven by global economic growth and a 1.5 billion increase in the global middle class.

Domestic India traffic should grow around 8.9%, followed by 8.5% growth in travel to China from Asia, Airbus said.

Write to Adam Whittaker at adam.whittaker@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 12, 2025 01:21 ET (05:21 GMT)

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