BOEING, in its annual market report, predicts a requirement for 24,000 commercial jets over the next 20 years. This is about the only statistic which more or less agree with Airbus. The most effective aircraft size is where Boeing and Airbus do differ. Boeing says frequency is the goal and points out that whilst carriers such as British Airways has continued with the 747 on its major long haul trunk routes, the US carriers, in the main, have gone ”twin” and ramped up the schedules. Speaking in London Randy Baseler, VP Marketing Boeing Commercial, remained sceptical regarding ultimate success for the Airbus A380. As regards the immediate future he said that there was currently a parked fleet of approximately 2,000 aircraft of which at least 1,250 were a minimum of 20 years old and probably would never fly again. ”Outmoded, inefficient, and would cost a fortune to put in the air,” he said. Nine hundred aircraft had been laid up since 9/11 but the grounded fleet was now stable and about 450 were expected to return to airline service. What clearly concerned him was the weakness of the North American market, and the North Atlantic. Europe is static whilst the Asian carriers” traffic has recovered. http://www.boeing.com