 "India, China drive Asia-Pacific need for nearly 20,000 new planes: Airbus")
The Asia-Pacific region is expected to require 19,560 new aircraft, both narrow and wide-body, over the next two decades, with India and China playing a key role in this expansion, Airbus said on Saturday. This accounts for 46 per cent of the global demand for 42,520 new planes.
Airbus Asia Pacific President Anand Stanley said with more people flying each year, passenger traffic in the region is projected to grow 4.4 per cent annually, higher than the global average of 3.6 per cent.
India, already one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, continues to see airlines placing large aircraft orders as they expand their fleets.
Demand for wide-body, single-aisle aircraft
Speaking at the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines' (AAPA) Annual Assembly of Presidents in Bangkok, Airbus said the region will need around 3,500 wide-body planes in the next 20 years. This is 43 per cent of global wide-body demand.
The forecast also shows demand for 16,100 single-aisle aircraft, making up 47 per cent of future global deliveries.
Stanley added that the region is entering an “exciting phase of growth”, supported by rising passenger numbers, expanding low-cost carriers, new routes and improving infrastructure.
India’s big push on airport infrastructure
India continues to upgrade its aviation infrastructure. On October 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Phase 1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), built at a cost of ₹19,650 crore. The airport will be the country’s first fully digital airport, offering features like online baggage drop, digital immigration and pre-booked parking.
Developed under a PPP model, NMIA will act as Mumbai’s second international airport and help reduce congestion at the existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Spread across 1,160 hectares, it is designed to handle 90 million passengers annually once fully completed.
The airport will also offer an automated people mover (APM) system for easy transfers between terminals and city-side facilities. It will be India’s first major aviation hub linked to expressways, metro networks, suburban rail and even water transport.
Progress at Noida International Airport
Last month, the Noida International Airport at Jewar completed a key milestone with a calibration flight by the Airports Authority of India. This test ensures that navigation and communication systems are ready before commercial operations begin.
The airport will have strong connectivity through roads, railways, and bus routes, linking Delhi-NCR with Agra, Meerut, Mathura, Aligarh and Haryana. It will have direct access to the Yamuna Expressway and better links via the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
Airlines prepare to start flights from Navi Mumbai airport
IndiGo announced that it will begin operations from the new Navi Mumbai airport on December 25, offering flights to 10 domestic cities. The airline plans to increase routes gradually from the Mumbai region’s second major airport.
The first phase of Navi Mumbai International Airport includes one runway and one terminal with capacity for 20 million passengers annually.
IndiGo’s initial network will include Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, North Goa (Mopa), Jaipur, Nagpur, Cochin and Mangalore.
Akasa Air will also begin services from the airport from December 25. Its first flight will operate between Delhi and Navi Mumbai, followed by Kochi, Goa and Ahmedabad. The airline plans to ramp up to 300 domestic and 50 international departures per week over time.
(With agency inputs)