Aviation Africa: Africa commercial fleet expected to double by 20 years

This is as Africa’s young and growing population seeks new opportunities to travel.

Boeing’s 2024 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) shows it expects deliveries of more than 800 new single-aisle jets will account for most of this growth, as predicted by the company’s long-term demand forecast for commercial airplanes and services.

According to the CMO, passenger air traffic in Africa will increase 6.4% annually ─ more than tripling the region’s air traffic by 2043. This growth rate ranks Africa as the third highest among the ten regions tracked by Boeing.

“As demand for air travel rises, African airlines will need more single-aisle aircraft to efficiently serve many routes in the continent’s largest aviation markets, including Europe, the Middle East and within Africa," said Shahab Matin, Boeing managing director of commercial marketing for Middle East and Africa. “This growth will build on Boeing’s nearly eight decades of partnership with African carriers, as more than 60 airlines currently operate around 500 Boeing airplanes.”

Through 2043, the Africa CMO also forecasts:

•           82% of deliveries will be for growth – the highest percentage of any region in the world.

•           Africa’s freighter fleet will triple to support the region’s export markets and growing e-commerce.

•           Aviation services across the continent will see 5.7% average annual growth as the fleet more than doubles.

•           Africa’s operators will need to hire and train 76,000 new pilots, maintenance technicians and cabin crew – tripling the region’s active personnel.