Russian carriers will need more than 1,000 passenger aircraft over the next 20 years in response to the strong traffic growth, according to the latest Airbus Global Market Forecast (GMF). The forecast ranks Russia sixth in the top ten countries for passenger aircraft demand after US, China, India, Germany and UK.

The Russian passenger aircraft fleet of 100 seats or more is expected to grow strongly from 519 aircraft in service in 2010 to 1,058 by 2030. This means that over the next 20 years Russian airlines will need 1,006 aircraft, valued at US$ 95 billion to meet fleet growth as well as aircraft replacement. These additional aircraft will include some 839 single-aisle aircraft which are currently prominent in the region’s fleet, 145 wide-bodies and some 22 Very Large Aircraft (VLA) to satisfy strong international travel growth.

The growing demand for aircraft is the consequence of the impressive increase of passenger traffic in Russia driven by consistent economic growth and the ongoing airline consolidation. According to Airbus forecast, passenger traffic in Russia is expected to increase at a rate of 5.6 per cent per year on average over the next 20 years, which is much faster than the world average of 4.8 per cent. The biggest traffic growth is expected to be on international destinations from Russia to Asia-Pacific (+7%) and CIS regions (6.7%).

“We see very strong demand for new, fuel-efficient aircraft in Russia and forecast the need for over 1000 aircraft in the forthcoming 20 years. We intend to get at least half of the deliveries in the region”, said Christopher Buckley, Executive Vice President Europe, Asia and the Pacific. “Russia remains a strategic market for Airbus. This year we have significantly extended our Airbus operators’ base in Russia by three new airlines and we expect to have another two to three by the end of the year”.

For nearly 20 years Airbus has been developing co-operation with the Russian aviation industry, with both sides demonstrating the will to build a long-term mutually beneficial partnership. This includes the implementation of a wide range of research and technology projects, the establishment of an Airbus Engineering Centre in Moscow (ECAR), material purchase and components manufacturing. Such a comprehensive and unique program allows Russia to participate as an equal partner in all major stages of Airbus aircraft development.

Today, nine Russian airlines operate over 170 Airbus aircraft. Over 80 jets are scheduled for delivery in the forthcoming years.