Boeing Forecasts Air Cargo Traffic to Increase Twofold Over Next 20 Years

Boeing anticipates significant demand for air cargo services until 2041, with traffic doubling and the global fleet of freighters increasing by more than 60%. Boeing published information from its 2022 World Air Cargo Forecast (WACF), a biannual in-depth analysis of evolving market dynamics.

Boeing Forecasts Demand for More than 41,000 New Airplanes by 2041(Opens in a new browser tab)

The world’s cargo fleet would need close to 2,800 newly produced and converted freighters for expansion and replacement by the year 2041, according to the 2022 WACF. In order to satisfy demand, operators will need to move to more capable, fuel-efficient, and sustainable jets like the 777-8 Freighter, according to the Boeing prediction, since cargo volume is expected to double during the projected period.

New production freighters will make up one-third of deliveries, while the remaining two-thirds will be freighter conversions, like the 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF), giving carriers more flexibility in both mature and developing markets.

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The 2022 WACF also provides these insights about the cargo market through 2041:

• The Asia-Pacific region will take delivery of nearly 40% of all freighters, including new and converted freighters.
• While dedicated freighters are 8% of the total commercial airplane fleet, they continue to carry more than half of all air cargo, with passenger airplanes carrying the remainder as belly cargo.
• The global freighter fleet will grow by more than 1,300 airplanes to more than 3,600 jets over the next two decades.