India is anticipated to necessitate in excess of 2,500 fresh aircraft consignments by the year 2042, as indicated by Darren Hulst, the Vice President of Commercial Marketing at Boeing, during a statement made on Friday. He underscored that this anticipated requirement stems from the notable surge in air traffic observed within India in recent periods.

Hulst stressed that in order to cope with the swiftly escalating needs of both passengers and cargo, carriers across South Asia are projected to augment the capacity of their current fleets fourfold within the forthcoming two decades. Additionally, it is anticipated that they will need in excess of 2,705 novel airplanes to accommodate future growth and fleet replenishment, as conveyed during a press briefing cited by the news agency PTI.

India is slated to require more than 92% of the 2,705, totaling over 2,500 aircraft by the year 2042, based on estimates provided midway through the preceding year, he appended. “We anticipate that carriers operating in this region, encompassing South Asia and India, will necessitate over 2,700 aircraft deliveries by the year 2042,” articulated Hulst, supplementing that a similar fleet configuration comprising more than 2,300 single-aisle aircraft and approximately 400 wide-body aircraft tailored for long-haul flights would be essential.

Per Boeing’s assessment, India stands as the sole significant economy and expansive market within Asia to have successfully reverted to pre-pandemic air travel volumes both domestically and internationally in terms of demand. This progression underscores the substantial role of air travel within the market and the robustness of the Indian economy; it also illustrates the interconnectedness between travelers and sustained expansion, he elaborated further.

Hulst elaborated that there exists an anticipation of the Indian cargo fleet escalating to 80 aircraft over the next two decades, as opposed to the present count of 15 freighter aircraft. He acknowledged that the company’s focus lies not on numerical figures but on the caliber of the aircraft, ensuring that the scheduled delivery timeline committed to the purchaser remains uncompromised. He iterated the inclusion of an additional tier of scrutiny in this regard.