Johannesburg - Airbus expects African operators to buy about 990 new aircraft over the next two decades to meet increasing demand for passenger and freight services on the continent.
While making up only 3 percent of overall global demand, the planes will more than double the number of such aircraft on the continent, says Airbus’s vice-president for sales in Africa and India, Hadi Akoum. The company forecasts passenger traffic in Africa increasing by 5.6percent a year over the next two decades, higher than the 4 percent global average.
“We put Africa’s growth above the rest of the world and we believe there is huge potential,” Akoum said this week. “We are working with almost every country and airline that has capacity to operate aircraft beyond 100 seats.”
Underpinned by a growing middle class, the number of air passengers in Africa is forecast to increase by almost two-thirds to 303million by 2035, according to the International Air Transport Association.
The top 10 fastest-growing markets in percentage terms are expected to be African nations including Sierra Leone, Mali, Rwanda, Togo, Uganda and Zambia, each doubling in size every decade.
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Of the 990 new Airbus aircraft, 760 will be single-aisle jetliners in the 120 to 200 seat category, while 230 will be wide-body twin-engine medium- and long-haul airliners, according to the company’s projections. There is also room in the market for 10 larger liners, such as A380s, it said.
Some of the planes will replace 226 outdated ones, while the rest of the fleet will still be in service by 2035. There are 605 planes with a capacity of more than 120 seats on the continent, manufactured by Airbus and Boeing Co, it says.
Airbus had 228 planes with 32 African operators by the end of last month.
The company expected to deliver two A330s to SAA this year and is in talks with Ethiopia Airlines for more A350-1000s, Akoum said.
Airbus is also in discussions with Kenya Airways, Africa's third-biggest carrier.