Air Traffic in Pakistan to Double by 2037: Airbus

Air traffic in Pakistan is likely to double up over the next two decades, if the annual growth rate of passenger traffic maintains the current course at 4.9 percent. The Airbus Global Market forecast further predicted that by 2037, the demand for passenger aircraft will reach 250 in the Pakistani market. Airbus Global Market forecast made these predictions during the Airline Lab Seminar organized by Airbus in Islamabad . Representatives from all airlines were present for the seminar. The three-day event invited executives and experts from airlines across Pakistan to confer ideas and remain updated on the developments and issues faced by the airline industry in present times. The seminar was aimed to discuss the latest trends, global developments and best practices in the industry like cabin product evolution and segmentation, premium economy, a growth of low-cost carriers, and so on. It underlined the importance of civil aviation for economic growth. The seminar revolved around eight key topics, i.e. brand awareness, cabin trends, fleet and network planning, trends and innovation, best practices in aircraft evaluation, and customer finance. ALSO READ PIA Adds Two Airbus A320s to its Fleet Experts were of the view that international air cargo traffic to and from Pakistan is expected to triple over the next 20 years. As per available statistics, Pakistan’s total air traffic in 2017 was 18 percent domestic and 82 percent international. Furthermore, the country is currently using 25 aircraft from Airbus, among which 14 belong to PIA and 11 with Airblue. The European airplane manufacturer said that it was expanding its portfolio of commercial aircraft including A220s, A320neos, and A330neos in response to the region’s growing market. Notably, PIA is among the first customers of Airbus in the region. Since 1978, Airbus has received 11 aircraft orders from Pakistan. Despite the rosy predictions, the country does not seem to be doing that good presently. As per economic experts, if the country wants that much aircraft, it needs to increase its per capita income by four times. Only then, Pakistani citizens will be able to fly at least once a year.