TOULOUSE — The replacement of old fleets with new generation aircraft such as the A330neo has yet to peak, according to Airbus Widebody market development director Rodrigo Lezama.

For instance, there are over 1,000 A330ceo planes in the fleet around the world with an average age of between 12 and 14 years, depending on the model, he noted.

“So, what we are seeing is the first batch of order of A330neos addressing the first batch of replacements and we still see a big (number) of aircraft that will still need to be replaced.

“Hence, our view is that the peak of replacements is yet to come,” he told a recent briefing, comprising mainly the Malaysia media, who were here to witness Malaysia Airlines’ first of 20 A330neo planes in the finishing line. Malaysia Airlines is gradually replacing  its 21 A330ceo aircraft.

According to the Airbus global market outlook, the demand for  new passenger and freighter aircraft over 2023-2042 in Asia Pacific stands at 18,920, of which 80 per cent of the market is seen for typical single aisle fleet and the remaining typical widebody. Of that, 70 per cent of the aircraft would be for growth, and the remaining 30 per cent for fleet replacement, according to Lezama.

Airbus, he said, is fairly confident of capturing the market for both growth and fleet replacements.

He explained that  fleet modernisation is needed to respond to upcoming challenges, be it economic, industrial and environmental.

It is to be noted that the A330neo is the first aircraft to be certified by European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) new carbon dioxide emissions standard, demonstrating its compliance with environmental regulations.

As for production, Lezama said Airbus is working to ramp up the production for both its A330neo and A350 models.

Currently, Airbus is working towards producing four A330neos a year, while for the A350, production will be ramped up to 10 a year by 2026 and 12 by 2028, he said. — BERNAMA / pic AFP