Airbus forecasts 2,720 new passenger aircraft for Latin America over 20 years

Airbus expects Latin American operators to take delivery of 2,720 new passenger aircraft over the next two decades, according to the company's Global Market Forecast covering 2026 to 2045.

Single-aisle jets account for most of that figure, with 2,520 deliveries projected. The remaining 200 are widebodies, intended for long-haul and high-density operations.

Of the total, 1,220 aircraft would support fleet expansion and 1,500 would replace older-generation equipment, according to the forecast. The additions would raise the region's operating commercial fleet from 1,550 aircraft today to 2,770 by 2045.

The manufacturer ties the expected growth to economic development, high urbanisation rates and a growing middle class. It also points to population spread creating more urban centres, which it says would allow new direct routes flown by current-generation aircraft and widen network connectivity across the continent.

On demand, Airbus projects the number of trips per person in Chile, Mexico and Brazil to at least double over the next two decades, with Colombia and Argentina close behind. Total origin-and-destination traffic in the region is also expected to keep growing.