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Informist, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026

 

HYDERABAD – European aircraft manufacturer Airbus sees India's commercial aircraft fleet tripling to 2,250 over the next 10 years, as the country emerges as the third-largest civil aviation market globally by 2035. The company Thursday released its India Aviation Market Outlook on the sidelines of the Wings India 2026 event in Hyderabad.

 

The projected fleet expansion is likely to be driven by both the boom in the Indian aviation market and the ambition of Indian airlines to expand international operations, Airbus said. This three-fold increase from the number of aircraft in 2025 marks one of the most aggressive expansion phases in global aviation history, it said.

 

"The requirement for aircraft will be driven by a unique blend of the fastest economic growth among G20 nations, deeper government spending on infrastructure, and a fundamental shift in Indian consumer behaviour, with per capita air travel rising from 0.13 to 0.29 over the next decade," Airbus said.

 

Passenger traffic in India is expected to grow at 8.9% per annum by 2035, the fastest among major economies and well above the long-term global average, the company said.

 

To support the expanded fleet, the requirement for pilots is set to rise to 35,000 by 2035 from the current 12,000, and the technical workforce will need to grow to 34,000, tripling the present strength of 11,000.

 

"Airbus is uniquely placed to support this growth with the A320 Family for domestic expansion and the A321XLR and A350 to support India's medium- and long-haul international ambitions," the company said.

 

As the fleet triples, India is expected to rapidly evolve into a hub for maintenance, repair and overhaul. The market for airframes, engines, and components is projected to triple to $9.5 billion by 2035, Airbus said.

 

Indian airlines are also expected to spend up to $1 billion by 2035 on the digitalisation of flight, ground and technical operations, as well as cybersecurity and aircraft connectivity.

 

The growth in fleet will be matched by an equally ambitious infrastructure expansion plan, with the government set to increase the number of operational airports by 50, taking the total to around 200 by 2035. The additional infrastructure spending is expected to support sustained high-frequency operations.  End

 

US$1 = INR 91.97

 

Reported by Narayana Krishna

Edited by Ashish Shirke

 

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