Airbus raises conversion projection in latest freighter forecast

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Airbus has raised the number of freighter conversions it expects to enter the global fleet over the next twenty years by 9%. Approximately 2,605 freighters will enter service from 2025 through 2044, about 1,670 of which will be conversions, according to Airbus’ latest global cargo market forecast released at Cargo Facts Symposium 2025 this week. [caption id="attachment_57292542" align="aligncenter" width="1128"] EFW converts Airbus narrowbodies and medium widebodies. (Courtesy/EFW)[/caption] That figure is 9.2% higher than the 1,530 conversions that Airbus had predicted in its global market forecast (GMF) for 2024-2043, published in July 2024 . The other 935 aircraft will be new-build freighters. Airbus has adjusted that number downward by thirty-five compared to when it released this year’s GMF in June . The number of production freighters, as part of the total number of additions, is an estimation based on historical observation of the split between new-build and converted freighters, and this split may evolve depending on manufacturer supply, Airbus told Cargo Facts . The 2,605 freighter additions will consist of: 630 large widebodies; 855 medium-widebodies; and 1,120 narrowbodies. Approximately 1,530 of the 2,605 freighters will be used as replacements and the other 1,075 for growth. Together with 815 aircraft from today’s total fleet that will stay in service, the global fleet of freighters with a payload of ten or more tonnes will reach 3,420 units by the end of 2044, according to Airbus. The top two recipient regions of the 2,605 additions will be North America at 920 units and Asia Pacific at 850 units, Francois Cabaret, Airbus’ head of market forecasts, said during an Oct. 22 briefing. The next decade will see a peak in freighter retirements, Cabaret said. Airbus’ projection of the conversion-production split is similar to that of rival planemaker Boeing, which predicted 955 new-build freighters and 1,945 conversions entering service from 2025 through 2044 in its twenty-year Commercial Market Outlook released in June . Follow daily coverage of Cargo Facts Symposium's highlights , and utilize the mobile event app to network with other attendees. Cargo Facts LATAM 2026, the essential event for stakeholders in Latin America, will take place Feb. 10-12 at the Marquis Reforma in Mexico City. Learn more and register by Dec. 19 to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

Airbus raises conversion projection in latest freighter forecast

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