African air fleet to modernise ahead of demand: Boeing

US AIRCRAFT manufacturer Boeing has forecast Africa will need to purchase at least 700 aircraft at an estimated US$80 billion over the next 20 years in order to meet demand in both tourism and commodities growth.

According to Boeing senior market analyst Mike Warner fuel efficiency is key to a carrier's profitability and will mean that Africa will need to decommission its average age of 20-year-old aircraft and invest in fuel-efficient aircraft. The continent will account for 32 per cent of new deliveries of twin-aisle planes compared to 23 per cent globally, he said at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2010 conference in Cape Town.

"As the demand for African commodities grows and foreign development and tourism increase, African carriers will require a modernised fleet in order to compete on routes historically dominated by foreign carriers."
(Source:www.schednet.com)