Africas aviation fleet is expected to increase by 25% by 2034, driven by ambitious airline expansion plans from the likes of South African Airways (SAA), which aims to triple its fleet over the next decade.
Since its revival in September 2021, with only six aircraft and four routes, SAAs fleet has since expanded to 14 planes servicing 15 routes. Plans are to have 20 planes in service by the first quarter of 2025 and 40 by 2035.
With the aviation industry further bolstered by large-scale expansions from Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, RwandAir and various private airlines, Africas total fleet is expected to reach over 1 400 aircraft by 2034, in line with an expansion in demand.
The growth in Africa reflects an expected expansion of demand. Figures from IATA show that African passenger numbers will nearly double by 2035. This will require airlines to continue to invest in expanding their fleet, as well as looking at new routes to add to their network, said Paul Calvey , Oliver Wyman Partner and Head of its Operations in South Africa.
Oliver Wymans latest Global Fleet and Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) Market Forecast predicts that the number of commercial aircraft worldwide will reach more than 36 400 by the start of 2034, a 28% increase over the current fleet of around 28 400. The forecast also indicates that global MRO spending is expected to reach US$104 billion, surpassing the pre-pandemic peak reached in 2020.
