compared to the present tally of 26,307. "Narrow-body aircraft will be the biggest beneficiary of this expansion, increasing from about 56 percent of the fleet in 2018 to 66 percent in 2028." Illustrating the kind of fleet culling that we can expect, by 2028 jet aircraft built in the 1990s will comprise 41 percent of the total global fleet. Today it's two-thirds.
HOT SPOTS
MRO usually follows fleet growth, and over the ensuing 10 years that means China is the epicenter of closely watched planes. The Oliver Wyman study projects that by 2028 the growth rate of China's expansive fleet of commercial jet aircraft will be a full 8.8 percent. By way of comparison, the North American fleet is projected to be a mere 1.5 percent, and the worldwide fleet 3.7 percent.
By 2028 MRO spend in the People's Republic should reach US$17.8 billion. For 2018 the figure is US$6.5 billion. That's a 10.6 percent growth rate. By contrast, MRO spend in Western Europe in 2018 is forecast to be a hefty US$16.2 billion. By 2028 the figure should be US$21.7 billion, with a growth rate of 3 percent — one-third that of China's.
V2500 OVERHAUL at MTU Maintenance in Germany. MTU MAINTENANCE