Boeing lifts 20-year forecast for new aircraft

Farnborough, England

THE world's airlines will need 39,620 new aircraft worth US$5.9 trillion over the next 20 years, US planemaker Boeing forecast on Monday, up 4.1 per cent on its estimate last year.

This will be driven largely by the growth of low-cost carriers and emerging markets, Boeing said on the first day of Britain's Farnborough Airshow.

The company said 28,140 new single-aisle airplanes such as its Boeing 737 and rival Airbus' A320 will be delivered in the 20 years to 2035, up 5 per cent from its forecast last year.

Airlines will need 9,100 widebody planes such as Boeing's 787 and 777 models, with the company saying a wave of replacement demand will come in the 2021-2028 time-frame.

Large widebody planes like its four-engined 747-8 and Airbus' A380 will account for only 530 deliveries, said Boein…