Airbus sees Africa demand for 1,000 jets over next 20 years

Airbus expects African operators to buy about 990 new planes over the next 2 decades to meet increasing demand for passenger and freight services on the continent. While making up only 3% of overall global demand, the planes will more than double the number of such aircraft on the continent, according to Airbus’ VP for sales in Africa and India, Hadi Akoum. The company forecasts passenger traffic in Africa increasing by 5.6% a year over the next 2 decades, higher than the 4% global average. Underpinned by a growing middle class, the number of air passengers in Africa is forecast to increase by almost two thirds to 303m by 2035, according IATA. The top 10 fastest-growing markets in percentage terms are expected to be African nations including Sierra Leone, Mali, Rwanda, Togo, Uganda and Zambia. <br/>