Airbus Forecasts Asia-Pacific Aviation Services Market to Reach US$138.7 Billion by 2044

Why It Matters

The forecast reshapes investment priorities, emphasizing aftermarket services, digital MRO solutions, and talent development across the fastest‑growing aviation market, influencing OEMs, airlines, and investors worldwide.

Key Takeaways

• Asia‑Pacific to need 19,560 new passenger aircraft by 2044
• Services market projected at $138.7 billion, 5.2% CAGR
• Off‑wing maintenance to reach $100 billion, faces labor shortages
• Digital & connectivity services to grow over threefold by 2044
• Training demand will create 1.06 million aviation jobs

Pulse Analysis

The Asia‑Pacific region is emerging as the engine of global aviation growth, with Airbus projecting that the market for aviation services will swell to $138.7 billion by 2044. This expansion is underpinned by an estimated 19,560 new passenger aircraft, representing nearly half of worldwide demand, and a passenger traffic increase of 4.4% annually—well above the global average. Such fleet and traffic acceleration creates a cascade of downstream requirements, from routine maintenance to sophisticated cabin upgrades, reshaping the economic landscape for airlines, OEMs, and service providers alike.

Within the services ecosystem, five core segments are set to dominate. Off‑wing maintenance alone is forecast to jump from $37.1 billion in 2025 to $100 billion in 2044, while on‑wing facilities benefit from massive capital inflows as new MRO hangars rise across India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Digitalisation is a game‑changer: AI‑driven predictive maintenance and data analytics are expected to lift the digital & connectivity segment from $2.9 billion to $11.2 billion, mitigating labour shortages and boosting aircraft availability. Simultaneously, training programmes must scale to produce over one million new aviation professionals, ensuring the talent pipeline keeps pace with fleet growth.

For investors and strategic planners, the forecast signals a shift in capital allocation toward service‑centric assets rather than pure aircraft sales. MRO operators that can integrate automation, secure supply‑chain resilience, and offer end‑to‑end maintenance operations support will capture premium market share. Airlines, especially low‑cost carriers expanding in South Asia and China, will prioritize cost‑effective, digitally enabled services to sustain high utilization rates. Consequently, OEMs such as Airbus and Boeing are likely to deepen partnerships with regional MROs, embedding aftermarket solutions early in the aircraft lifecycle to lock in long‑term revenue streams.