GAUTENG, South Africa - Africa’s commercial airplane fleet is expected to more than double by 2043, driven by a growing, more prosperous population demanding new travel opportunities, according to Boeing’s 2024 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO). The report forecasts the delivery of over eight hundred new single-aisle jets, which will make up the majority of the region’s fleet expansion. Boeing's CMO is available here: https://www.boeing.com/commercial/market/commercial-market-outlook.
Passenger air traffic across Africa is projected to increase by 6.4% annually, more than tripling by 2043. This growth rate places Africa third among the ten global regions Boeing tracks for air traffic expansion.
"As demand for air travel increases, African airlines will require more single-aisle airplanes to serve key routes efficiently, including destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and within Africa itself," said Shahab Matin, Boeing’s managing director of Commercial Marketing for the Middle East and Africa. He noted that this expansion builds on Boeing’s long-standing relationship with African airlines, as more than 60 carriers on the continent currently operate nearly five hundred Boeing aircraft.
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The CMO predicts that by 2043, 82% of new aircraft deliveries will be for fleet growth, the highest percentage of any region globally. Africa’s freighter fleet is also expected to triple to support the continent's growing e-commerce sector and export markets.
In addition, aviation services across Africa will experience an average annual growth of 5.7%, with the overall fleet more than doubling. To support this expansion, African airlines will need to hire and train approximately seventy-six thousand new pilots, maintenance technicians, and cabin crew members, tripling the number of personnel actively working in the region.
Between 2024 and 2043, the anticipated aircraft deliveries for Africa include 65 regional jets, 830 single-aisle aircraft, 260 widebody planes, and 15 freighters, bringing the total number of new aircraft to 1,170.
