Boeing Forecasts $5.9 Trillion Worth of Aircraft Demand

Boeing projects a demand for 39,620 new airplanes over the next 20 years, an increase of 4.1 percent over last year's forecast. Boeing released its annual Current Market Outlook (CMO) on the first day of the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow, estimating the total value of those new airplanes at $5.9 trillion.

"Despite recent events that have impacted the financial markets, the aviation sector will continue to see long-term growth with the commercial fleet doubling in size," said Randy Tinseth, vice president of Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We expect to see passenger traffic grow 4.8 percent a year over the next two decades."

The single-aisle market will be especially strong, with low-cost carriers and emerging markets driving growth. 28,140 new airplanes will be needed in this segment, an increase of more than 5 percent over last year.

"There's no question the heart of the single-aisle market is around the new Boeing MAX 8 and the current 737-800. Airplanes that size already account for 76 percent of the global single-aisle backlog, and our products have the clear advantage in that space."

On the widebody side, 9,100 airplanes are in the forecast, with a large wave of potential replacement demand in the 2021-2028 timeframe. Boeing projects a continued shift from very large airplanes to small and medium widebodies such as the 787, 777 and 777X.