Airbus forecasts that the Chinese mainland will need more than 3,000 passenger aircraft and freighters from 2006 to 2025, including some 2,050 single aisle aircraft, nearly 600 small twin-aisle aircraft, over 200 intermediate twin-aisle aircraft and 180 very large aircraft. Some 2,650 passenger aircraft will be required by operators on the Chinese mainland, tripling the present numbers.
"In terms of in-service aircraft, Airbus' market share on the Chinese Mainland has already increased from 7% in 1995 to the current 35% and our aim is to reach 50% in 2011," said Airbus chief operating officer customers John Leahy. "In the next 20 years, the greatest demand for passenger aircraft will come from the Chinese Mainland just after the US," he added.
The concentration of the population, the dynamic and large Chinese cities, combined with vast potential outbound tourism, will translate to a substantial requirement for large aircraft such as the A380, especially in the next decade, according to Airbus. More than 110 A380 passenger aircraft will be required to serve not only long-haul international routes but also intra-Asia and domestic China trunk routes.