The planemaker cited the Iran war, higher fuel costs, restricted West Asia airspace and trade tensions, while still expecting Asia to account for about half of passenger jet deliveries.
Airbus lowered its 20-year industry forecast for passenger aircraft demand by 1%, projecting 42,060 passenger jet deliveries between 2026 and 2045, as the Iran war, higher fuel prices, restricted West Asia airspace and trade tensions weigh on airline growth plans and costs. The revised outlook includes 33,920 single-aisle jets and 8,140 wide-body jets, both down 1% from the previous forecast. Airbus said 47% of total passenger jet deliveries are now expected to replace older aircraft, up from 45%, indicating demand may be driven more by fleet renewal than expansion. It raised its headline forecast for annual passenger traffic growth to 3.9% from 3.6%, though executives said that was a downgrade from 4.1% on a like-for-like basis. India remained the fastest-growing air travel market, while China's domestic growth outlook was reduced.