India needs 2,210 aircraft over next 20 yrs: Airbus

Airbus supports 7,000 jobs, including about 1,650 engineers in India and annual sourcing from the country at more than $650 million

Hyderabad: India will require 2,210 new aircraft over the next 20 years, according to the aircraft maker Airbus' latest India Market Forecast on the opening day of the Wings India 2022 air show being held at Hyderabad from Thursday. That fleet could comprise 1,770 small and 440 medium and large aircraft.

By the next decade, India will become the largest populous country in the world, its economy will grow the fastest among the G20 nations, and a burgeoning middle class will spend more on air travel. As per the report, passenger traffic in India will grow at 6.2 per cent per annum by 2040, the fastest among the major economies and well above the global average of 3.9 per cent.

India has witnessed an upward trend in the air traffic growth over the last ten years – with domestic traffic growing almost threefold and international traffic more than doubling. On international routes, India has only about one-tenth of the wide-body fleet installed in similar markets, depriving homegrown carriers of a larger share of the profitable long-haul routes now dominated by foreign airlines. "We have seen India's domestic market develop strongly with our flagship A320 aircraft. It is time now for Indian carriers to unlock the potential of international travel in and out of India, leveraging the country's demographic, economic and geographic dividends," said Remi Maillard, President and Managing Director, Airbus India & South Asia.

"Whether it is expanding existing airlines or supporting new airlines, there must be a re-fleeting and rethinking about future-oriented solutions with technology that paves the way for sustainable long-range travel. The A350 is the perfect solution for that," Maillard said, announcing the India Market Forecast. To serve its growing aviation industry, India will require an additional 34,000 pilots and 45,000 technicians by 2040.

The complete Airbus product line comprises the only aircraft specifically designed for the small single-aisle market, the A220, the world's best-selling A320 Family, the mid-size widebody A330/330neo and the Long-Range Leader, the A350. In the freight market, Airbus aircraft are available with the A320/321P2F (passenger to freighter), the A330-200F and A330P2F as well as the world's newest freighter, the A350F.

Airbus will deliver more than one aircraft to India every week for the next 10 years. It supports 7,000 jobs, including about 1,650 engineers in India and annual sourcing from the country at more than $650 million.