HÀ NỘI — Asia-Pacific is poised to become the main engine of global aviation services growth, with rising air traffic, rapid fleet expansion and surging demand for maintenance, training and digital solutions reshaping the industry over the next two decades, Airbus said on Thursday.

The European planemaker forecast the Asia-Pacific aviation services market would expand to US$138.7 billion by 2044, according to its latest Global Services Forecast covering the region, including China and India. Services demand is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.2 per cent over the period.

Airbus said Asia-Pacific will require 19,560 new passenger aircraft, accounting for 46 per cent of global demand. Passenger traffic in the region is forecast to rise by 4.4 per cent annually, well above the global average of 3.6 per cent, reinforcing its position as the world’s fastest-growing air travel market.

Off-wing maintenance was identified as the largest and fastest-growing services segment, with demand projected to climb to $100 billion by 2044 from $37.1 billion in 2025, as fleets expand and age. The segment, however, faces challenges from supply chain disruptions and labour shortages.

On-wing maintenance demand is expected to increase to $14 billion by 2044 from $6 billion in 2025, supported by continued investment in maintenance, repair and overhaul infrastructure, including new base maintenance hangars in markets such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Demand for aircraft modifications and upgrades is forecast to reach $6.2 billion by 2044, up from $3.8 billion in 2025, as airlines undertake more complex retrofits on ageing aircraft, including cabin modernisation and in-flight connectivity installations.

Airbus said digital and connectivity services will grow rapidly, rising to $11.2 billion by 2044 from $2.9 billion in 2025, as airlines and MROs increasingly deploy artificial intelligence and data analytics to boost efficiency, enable predictive maintenance and ease labour constraints.

Training services demand is projected to increase to $7.7 billion by 2044 from $3.2 billion in 2025. Airbus estimates the region will need more than 1.06 million new aviation professionals over the period, including pilots, technicians and cabin crew, as the industry shifts towards competency-based training models.

The forecast also pointed to strong growth in maintenance operations support services, covering engineering, inventory management and fleet planning, with the Asia-Pacific market expected to reach $46.4 billion by 2044. Ground operations services are forecast to grow to $31 billion, driven by automation and digitalisation aimed at improving aircraft turnaround efficiency.

Airbus said Asia-Pacific, led by South Asia and China, will play a central role in shaping global aviation services growth over the next two decades, influencing investment priorities and industry capacity worldwide. — VNS