Boeing Photo: VCG

Boeing is forecasting that China will need 8,560 new commercial airplanes through 2042, driven by economic growth well above the global average and increasing public demand for air travel.

China's commercial airliner fleet will more than double to nearly 9,600 jets over the next 20 years, according to Boeing's Commercial Market Outlook, the company's long-term forecast of demand for commercial airplanes and related services.
 
In light of the ongoing recovery of air travel, China will account for one fifth of the world's airplane hand-overs in the next two decades, according to the outlook. China's domestic aviation market also will be the largest in the world by the end of the forecast period, helping power demand for 6,470 single-aisle airplanes such as the Boeing 737 MAX family.
 
"Domestic air traffic in China has already surpassed pre-pandemic levels and international traffic is recovering steadily," said Darren Hulst, Boeing vice president, Commercial Marketing. "As China's economy and traffic continue to grow, Boeing's complete line-up of commercial jets will play a key role in helping meet that growth sustainably and economically."
 
Along with demand for single-aisle jets, Chinese carriers will require 1,550 wide-body airplanes mainly to support a growing network of international routes, and continued growth in e-commerce and express shipping will drive demand for 190 new freighter deliveries, the outlook noted.

China's commercial fleet will generate demand for $675 billion in aviation services including maintenance, repair, training and spare parts.

China's civil aviation market has continued its upward trend as the overall scale of air transport has exceeded the pre-pandemic levels for two consecutive months, according to August data. The scale of passenger transportation on international routes has also recovered to more than half of the level in 2019, as reported by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.