Airbus sees Asia-Pacific driving 45% of global jet demand by 2045
Airbus forecasts Asia-Pacific passenger traffic to grow 5.1% annually to 2045, with fleet expansion driving most demand for new aircraft.
- Airbus forecasts the Asia-Pacific region will require 19,120 new aircraft by 2045, representing 45% of total global demand.
- This demand is driven by the region's passenger traffic, which is projected to grow at 5.1% annually, significantly higher than the 3.9% global average.
- Approximately two-thirds of the demand will be for fleet expansion to support growth, with the remaining one-third for replacing older aircraft.
- The majority of the aircraft needed will be single-aisle models (15,700 units), though the region will also require 3,420 widebody jets, making up almost half of global widebody demand.
Asia-Pacific will account for 45% of global demand for new passenger aircraft between 2026 and 2045, requiring 19,120 aircraft as passenger traffic grows faster than the worldwide average, Airbus forecasts.
Airbus’s Global Market Forecast (GMF) for 2026–2045 puts worldwide demand at 42,060 new aircraft. Passenger traffic in Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.1%, above the global average of 3.9%, more than doubling over the forecast period.
Fleet expansion to drive most Asia-Pacific aircraft demand
About one-third of Asia-Pacific’s projected demand for new passenger aircraft will come from replacing existing fleets, with the remainder supporting growth, according to Airbus.
Airbus expects strong economic fundamentals to underpin Asia-Pacific’s aviation growth. The region’s middle-income population is forecast to reach three billion by 2045, while rapid urbanisation is expected to make air travel increasingly important to social and economic prosperity.
Single-aisle aircraft will account for the bulk of Asia-Pacific demand, with 15,700 aircraft seating 100–244 passengers expected to be needed by 2045. Airbus said the requirement reflected continued expansion of domestic and intra-regional networks, through both fleet replacement and longer-term growth in passenger capacity.
Asia-Pacific airlines expand connections beyond major hubs
New airport infrastructure and longer-range, versatile single-aisle aircraft are enabling airlines in Asia-Pacific to connect more secondary cities without routing passengers through traditional major hubs, according to Airbus. The manufacturer cited the A321XLR and A220 as aircraft helping open new direct city-to-city links.
Airbus said the A220 made new routes with lower passenger volumes commercially viable and had already helped open more than 400 routes worldwide. In Asia-Pacific, the company estimated that the aircraft could enable direct services between more than 800 city pairs currently lacking such connections.
Anand Stanley, Airbus’s Asia-Pacific president, said regional airline networks and the way they connect were changing, alongside the sustained expansion of long-haul services.
“Airlines are moving beyond traditional hub-and-spoke networks to connect secondary cities directly with the global economy,” Stanley said. He said the latest-generation aircraft technology was enabling carriers to reshape regional air connections and support long-term economic prosperity.
Asia-Pacific forecast to need 3,420 widebody aircraft
Asia-Pacific is forecast to need 3,420 new widebody aircraft by 2045, giving the region the largest share of deliveries in the category, according to Airbus. The manufacturer said the total represented almost half of worldwide demand for new widebody aircraft.
Airbus said its A330neo and A350 families were well placed to meet the region’s widebody needs. Over the past three years, the aircraft had helped increase the manufacturer’s share of Asia-Pacific’s widebody order backlog to 50%.
Airbus described the A350 as a trusted choice among the region’s airlines for long-haul intercontinental flights, and the A350-1000, the largest variant in the family, as a natural replacement for the 777-300ER.
At the end of August 2026, 119 airlines across Asia-Pacific were operating 5,000 Airbus commercial aircraft, representing a 58% market share, according to the manufacturer.
Airbus also had nearly 3,500 aircraft awaiting delivery in Asia-Pacific at the end of August 2026. The company said this accounted for 61% of the region’s combined order backlog across manufacturers in the market for jets with more than 100 seats.
