Article Posted on : - Jul 07, 2011

The next-gen Boeing 737 planes would meet India's demand for single-aisle planes, says the company.

NEW DELHI (BNS): Projecting the Indian commercial aviation market to be worth $150 billion over the next 20 years, US aircraft maker Boeing is eying a big pie of the share.

The company in its latest forecast has said that there would be a need for 1,320 new passenger planes in India over the next 20 years as the Indian economy aims a double-digit growth, stimulating strong demand for new and replacement airplanes.

“Robust growth with new economic prosperity amongst a massive Indian population, discretionary incomes, business progress and access to airports will increase airplane demand,” Boeing India President Dinesh Keskar said Wednesday while presenting the company's outlook for India’s commercial airplane market through 2030.

“The economic and air-traffic growth will in turn stimulate demand for a variety of aircraft types,” the official said.

As the biggest demand would be for single-aisle planes, the US aviation giant said its next-gen Boeing 737 planes would meet the need.

To keep up with demand, the company has recently announced to boost production of the 737s to a record 42 per month by the first half of 2014.

“The need is great for new airplanes that can efficiently and profitably fly short and long-haul routes. This demand is driven by growth in developing and emerging cities, demand from low-cost carriers and the need to replace an aging fleet,” Keksar said.

Boeing airplanes currently dominate India’s long-haul international fleet, with 777s and 747s in service, soon to be joined by the 787 Dreamliner.

“The super-efficient 787 will offer significant economic improvement for airlines, increased comfort for passengers and better environmental performance,” Keskar said.

In its global forecast, Boeing projected a $US 4 trillion market for 33,500 new passenger airplanes and freighters between 2011 and 2030.