Boeing to deliver on average two aircraft a month through 2024-25

With Indian carriers’ expansion plans hit due to delayed deliveries by Boeing, the US aerospace company on Thursday said that it will supply on an average two planes per month this year as part of its deal with the airlines.

Air India and Akasa have ordered planes from Boeing and the deliveries have been delayed by several months due to slowdown in production and strike at the company’s manufacturing unit in the US last year. Indigo with the largest order of new plane is primarily with Airbus.    

For 2024 and 2025, our monthly deliveries would average at about two per month said Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India and South Asia.

Air India’s order book from Boeing is huge. There were 50 Boeing 737 MAX white-tails which were to be delivered by December 2024 and is likely to stretch out until June this year. Also, there are line-fit aircrafts – to be built specially for Air India – facing delays.

According to Boeing’s current Commercial Market Outlook (CMO), India and South Asia’s commercial airplane fleet will grow nearly four-fold over the next 20 years, building on sustained fleet growth throughout the last decade.

“There will be a demand for 2,835 new airplanes over 20 years propelled by Indian carriers requiring around 2550 of these,” the company added.  

Continued growth will be fueled by greater demand and a rise in the region’s air traffic, which will grow more than 7% annually through 2043 driven by sustained economic growth, improved connectivity and policies that support air travel liberalization, Domestic air traffic is expected to remain the largest and fastest-growing segment in India’s travel market, according to the CMO.

This projected traffic growth will be enabled by further low-cost carrier expansion and network diversification as airlines offer more routes and destinations throughout the region.

Fuel-efficient single-aisle airplanes, such as the 737 MAX, will account for nearly nine out of 10 commercial jet deliveries in the forecast period, providing airlines with greater network flexibility and better economics on fast-growing short- and medium-haul routes.

The region’s widebody fleet will quadruple as carriers leverage airplanes like the 787 Dreamliner and 777X to further develop long-haul networks, particularly from India to North America, where capacity has doubled in the past decade.

"The India and South Asia region continues to be the world’s fastest-growing commercial aviation market due to strong economic and trade growth, rising household incomes and investments in infrastructure and development," said Naidu

The CMO also forecasts India and South Asia’s cargo freighter fleet, including new and converted models, will grow five-fold as the region expands its role in global supply chains, advanced manufacturing and e-commerce.

Demand for pilots, cabin crew and technicians will quadruple to 129,000 along with commercial airplane fleet expansion, representing the fastest growth rate of any region globally.