Boeing determined to build up Asia-Pacific narrowbody share

Boeing is determined to win back market share in the Asia-Pacific, and feels it has the optimal product mix to do so. Dave Schulte, managing director marketing at the US airframer, paints an upbeat picture of traffic demand in key Asia-Pacific regions. He says India’s traffic demand is growing 7% annually, and while Southeast Asia’s is not quite as high, it is still among the highest in the world. He adds that Southeast Asian aircraft demand will primarily be for single-aisles. According to the company’s Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) for Southeast Asia, the region will require over 4,255 new aircraft over the next twenty years, with demand for narrowbodies to greatly outweigh that for widebodies. For the next 20 years Boeing expects Southeast Asia to require 3,430 narrowbodies, 740 widebodies, 50 regional jets, and 35 freighters. It expects the region’s fleet to triple by 2042, with 70% of deliveries for growth, not replacement. Schulte disclosed Boeing’s forecast in an interview with FlightGlobal at the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines 66th Assembly of Presidents, which is taking place in Bangkok from 10-11 November. Boeing’s Southeast Asia forecast is a subset of its global CMO, which foresees the world’s airlines requiring 41,170 new aircraft over the next two decades. Despite Boeing’s optimism, in recent years it has lost Asia-Pacific market share to rival Airbus in the narrowbody segment. Cirium fleets data indicates that Asia-Pacific airlines have 181 737 Max jets in their fleets, compared with 1,213 A320neo family jets. The A320neo family is also ahead in Asia-Pacific orders, with 2,233 against the 737 Max’s 1,302. <br/>