Latin America should almost double its aircraft fleet in the next 20 years, predicts Boeing

The commercial aircraft fleet in Latin America is expected to nearly double in size over the next two decades and reach 2,880 aircraft by 2041, Boeing predicts. In 2019, the fleet in the region was 1,540, with the Brazilian market representing around 30% of this expansion.

The company’s expectation is that the market will demand, in the next 20 years, 2,240 more planes, which would generate US$ 335 billion. This should generate another 118 thousand jobs, among pilots, technicians and flight attendants.

About 90% of the new planes, about 2,000, must be medium-sized planes, with a single aisle, and 10% must be large, for long trips, such as from Brazil to Europe.

The use of single-aisle aircraft, such as the 737 MAX, has been expanded on international routes, as they have greater autonomy and are able to fly routes from Miami to Brasília.

Other projections for Latin America are that passenger traffic will grow 4.4% per year, and that the demand for maintenance and repair services will move US$ 135 billion in the coming decades.

In Latin America, the passenger sector has already recovered 88% of the volume it had in 2019. The percentage of recovery is above the world average of 75%, according to data from August this year.

Boeing showed optimism with the Brazilian air resumption. “The timing may be uncertain, but since 2006 air passenger volumes have doubled in the country, and we think this growth is likely to resume in the near future,” says David Franson, Boeing’s regional director of market forecasting.

“Brazil is doing a good job of keeping an open and competitive market, and this is helping the recovery and growth prospects,” he added.

Franson estimates that the United States will continue to be the main destination for international flights from Brazil in the coming decades, and that routes to Chile and Peru should gain strength.