Mideast airlines' fleet to expand to 2,600 aircraft by 2035

The Middle East fleet of commercial airliners is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1% over the next decade, according to the Global Fleet and MRO Market Forecast, 2025-2035 report from Oliver Wyman, a global management consulting firm and business unit within Marsh McLennan. This is almost double the 2.8% annual growth rate anticipated for the fleet worldwide over the same 10 years, reflecting the region’s rising demand for air travel, it said. The Middle East’s share of the global fleet is also expected to increase from 5.3% to 6.7% by 2035, as its fleet expands to close to 2,600 of the world’s more than 38,000 aircraft by 2035. Reflecting the increase in aircraft, the spending on maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) in the region will also trend upward, topping $20b in 2035. The MRO spend in 2025 is expected to reach $16b. “The Middle East commercial aviation market is on a growth trajectory, supported by strong demand for air travel, from both full-service airlines and low-cost carriers entering the market,” said André Martins, Oliver Wyman’s Head of the Transportation, Services, and Operations Practices for India, the Middle East, and Africa. As the report highlights, the region’s fleet expansion will be driven primarily by the addition of narrowbodies that will cater to the growth in domestic and shorter-haul flights. In a region where widebodies have long dominated, narrowbodies will climb from 43% to 47% of the regional fleet over the decade.<br/>