Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY) expects airlines in the Middle East to more than double the size of their fleets over the next two decades, projecting that the region will operate about 3,700 aircraft by 2044, Reuters reported Sunday, citing a senior executive.
Speaking ahead of this week’s Dubai Airshow, Grainne van den Berg, Airbus’s head of marketing for Africa and the Middle East, said the company anticipates Middle Eastern passenger traffic will expand at an average rate of 4.4% a year through 2044. She also noted that the region’s aviation services market is likely to roughly double to nearly $30 billion by the end of that period.
The Dubai Airshow (the region’s biggest aerospace gathering, running Nov. 17-21) comes as Airbus and rival Boeing (BA) compete for major new orders.
According to Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (EADSY, the Middle East is expected to have the highest proportion of widebody jets of any global market by 2044, with long-range aircraft accounting for about 42% of future demand.