A new independent study into the high-capacity airliner market has concluded that there could be room for two competitors with aircraft of more than 500 seats.
The study, carried out by UK-based Meridian International Research, suggests that between 850 and 1,000 aircraft could be required in the high-capacity category over the next 20 years. That is lower than the Airbus forecast of around 1,400 aircraft, but is more than double the revised estimate of only 400 made by Boeing when it dropped immediate plans to launch a stretched 747.
Only preliminary details of the research have been released, but Meridian confirms that it is based on interviews with about 30 of the world's largest intercontinental carriers, around half of them in the key Asian market. Some 13 airlines identified a need for a 550-seat aircraft within the next ten years, while 19 saw a requirement within the next 20. Meridian says that most interest is from Asia.
Source: Flight International
