Traffic involving Spain to grow at 3.1% annually over the next 20 years

According to the latest Airbus Global Market Forecast, air traffic involving Spain will double by 2033 compared to 2013. This includes domestic as well as international travel to and from the country. Madrid and Barcelona will join the group of aviation megacities by 2033 with major traffic flows connecting to/from Latin America. Domestic and international traffic to/from and within Spain will grow by 3.1% on average annually over the next 20 years. To service the Spanish market there will be a demand of nearly 1,350 aircraft by 2033 including both domestic and foreign carriers. This demand is driven by the strong need to satisfy growth and replacement of older aircraft with more fuel efficient jets. Of the demand for 1,350 aircraft, more than 85 % (1,150) will be single-aisle aircraft such as Airbus’ benchmark fuel efficient A320 Family. Nearly 15 % will be wide-body aircraft seating 250 to over 500 passengers such as today’s Airbus A330 Family, the A350 XWB Family and the A380. Low Cost Carriers (LCC) are also a great contributor to the traffic growth involving Spain. Today, 45% of all seats offered within Europe are on an LCC flight. Short-haul traffic to/from the UK and Spain has the highest LCC market share. Another core market that will remain is short-haul traffic connecting to long-haul flights of major international carriers in Europe. Today, there are more than 50 million passengers per month that are connecting to long-haul flights and this market segment will continue to grow. Airbus has a long history with Spain’s aeronautical industry. Airbus’ operations in Spain are an important contributor to all Airbus aircraft programmes. This participation is of mutual benefit, both for Airbus and Spain’s econy. In terms of employment, at the end of 2013, Airbus Operations Spain had a workforce of some 3,200 employees. More than 1,000 Spanish companies are directly or indirectly suppliers to Airbus.  At the end of October 2014, the Airbus in-service fleet in Spain was 207 aircraft (50 wide-body and 157 single-aisle aircraft) with 88 more aircraft yet to be delivered including eight A350 XWBs.