Boeing Predicts Massive Rise in Southeast Asia Air Traffic

Boeing predicts that passenger aviation traffic in Southeast Asia will triple over the next 20 years due to the region's expanding middle class and faster-than-average economic growth. To fulfil the growing demand for air travel, the region's fleet of aircraft is also expected to more than triple to 4,960 jets; according to Boeing's 2024 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO), the company's long-term demand prediction for commercial aircraft and services.

Southeast Asia Air Travel Soars

According to the CMO, passenger air traffic in Southeast Asia will grow 7.2% annually through 2043—well above the 4.7% average annual growth rate globally.

“With Southeast Asia’s economy forecast to have the second-highest growth rate among global regions, rising household incomes will bring new consumers into this aviation market, fueling growth for low-cost and leisure business models,” said David Schulte, managing director of Boeing Commercial Marketing for Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. 

“Southeast Asia’s growing fleet – especially single-aisle aeroplanes – will play an important role in further connecting the region’s island geography and serving travel demand across the Asia-Pacific region, particularly routes to China and Northeast Asia,” Schulte said.

Through 2043, Boeing also forecasts:

• Airlines in Southeast Asia will expand their share of the Asia-Pacific fleet from 17% to 25%.
• To meet long-haul demand, widebodies like the 787 Dreamliner will make up one in five deliveries in Southeast Asia.
• The region will need more than 120 new and converted freighters to support increasingly diversified global supply chains and growing e-commerce demand.
• Southeast Asia operators must hire and train 234,000 new pilots, maintenance technicians and cabin crew – more than tripling the region’s active personnel.

Southeast Asia’s commercial aviation industry continues to focus on improving sustainability. Nearly 1,200 new, more fuel-efficient aeroplanes will replace ageing jets in the region over the next 20 years. Also, as global aviation aims to achieve net zero by 2050, this region’s available bio-based feedstocks can supply approximately 12% of global sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) demand, according to the Boeing-supported SAF feedstock assessment.