newstodate.aero

Nov 18, 2020 (newstodate): Boeing has released its biennial World Air Cargo Forecast, reflecting the impact from COVID-19 and opportunities in the new situation as well as substantial long-term demand for freighters over the next two decades.
   According to the forecast, Boeing sees the demand for 2,430 freighters over the next 20 years, including 930 new production freighters and 1,500 freighters converted from passenger airplanes.
   Boeing thus forecasts a 60 percent increase in the cargo fleet through 2039, comprising 930 new production freighters and 1,500 cargo conversions.
   In Boeing's crystal ball, the world's air cargo traffic will grow at four percent per year over the next 20 years.
    e-commerce will remain a key driver in the industry, accelerating its impact on the air cargo market as more businesses shift to online selling platforms.
   Passenger belly cargo, accounting for half of the world air cargo capacity in 2019, has now been significantly reduced as airlines parked thousands of planes. Freighter operators have responded by operating above-normal utilization levels, and traffic for all-cargo carriers grew six percent, y-o-y, in 2020.
   So far in 2020, approximately 200 airlines used more than 2,000 passenger wide-body aircraft for cargo-only operations to generate cash flow and support global supply chains. These passenger freighters have taken up some of the capacity shortfall and, in some cases, generated quarterly profits for carriers despite minimal passenger operations.