Boeing predicts Asia-Pacific airlines will be the largest buyer of twin-aisle airplanes - about 40 percent of total demand to 2029. Jakarta-based Lion Air was the launch customer of the 737-900ER and is currently the largest operator of the airplane with 36. The carrier operates within Indonesia as well as to Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia Boeing's latest market outlook predicts demand for 30,900 new commercial airplanes valued at $3.6 trillion by 2029. “The world market is doing much better than last year, but there are still challenges,” said Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Looking at 2010, we see a world economy that continues to recover. We expect the world economy to grow above the long-term trend this year. As a result, both passenger and cargo travel will grow this year. Airline revenue and yields are up, but fuel prices remain volatile.” The recession resulted in significantly reduced air cargo traffic in 2009, the base year for the Boeing forecast. From this level the manufacturer forecasts global cargo traffic will increase at an annual average of 5.9 percent through 2029. Boeing expects the world's freighter fleet to increase from 1,750 to 2,980 airplanes in the next two decades and include 740 new-production freighters (worth $180 billion at today's book prices) and 1,750 airplanes converted from passenger models. Large freighters with over 80 tons capacity will account for 520 new airplanes. Demand for medium-sized freighters with a 40-80 tons payload will total 210. Virtually all standard-body freighters, with less than 45 tons capacity, are expected to come from converted passenger airplanes, said Boeing. “The inclusion of the high-traffic growth levels in 2010, following the recession, is driving our cargo forecast upward,” said Tinseth. “However, the strength of the industry and its growth will continue to be driven by sound fundamentals - speed and reliability, consumer product innovation and global industrial interdependence.”
