Commercial Aircraft Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Commercial Aircraft Market is projected to expand from USD 172.05 Billion in 2025 to USD 236.69 Billion by 2031, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 5.46%. Commercial aircraft, defined as fixed-wing vehicles operated by airlines to transport paying passengers and cargo, are seeing market growth driven primarily by a resurgence in global air travel demand. Furthermore, airlines face an operational necessity to replace aging fleets with fuel-efficient alternatives to lower operating costs, while economic expansion in emerging regions increases disposable incomes and stimulates passenger traffic, necessitating fleet expansion for network carriers.

However, the market encounters significant obstacles due to persistent supply chain disruptions that delay production schedules and impede the timely delivery of new units. These logistical bottlenecks prevent manufacturers from fully capitalizing on the robust recovery in air travel. According to the International Air Transport Association, total revenue passenger kilometers rose by 7.1 percent in October 2024 compared to the previous year. Despite this growth, the continuing disparity between rising service demand and constrained manufacturing output remains a critical barrier to broader industry expansion.

Market Drivers

The surge in global air passenger traffic and travel demand acts as a primary catalyst for the Global Commercial Aircraft Market, pushing network carriers to increase fleet capacity to handle growing route density. As international borders fully reopen and consumer confidence is restored, airlines are prioritizing the acquisition of new assets to manage the substantial volume of leisure and business travelers. This mobility demand creates immense pressure on manufacturers to accelerate production rates for both single-aisle and wide-body airframes to avoid capacity shortages on high-traffic corridors. According to the International Air Transport Association's 'Global Outlook for Air Transport' from June 2024, passenger numbers are projected to reach 4.96 billion in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, prompting carriers to aggressively expand order books to secure delivery slots.

Simultaneously, the accelerated replacement of aging fleets with fuel-efficient aircraft stimulates continuous market activity as operators strive to lower variable costs and achieve sustainability benchmarks. Modernizing fleets allows airlines to retire fuel-intensive models, improving operating margins and ensuring compliance with stricter noise and emissions standards. Boeing's 'Commercial Market Outlook 2024-2043', released in July 2024, forecasts that nearly 44 percent of the 44,000 new airplanes required over the next two decades will be dedicated to replacing older jets. This renewal cycle ensures a steady stream of orders regardless of economic fluctuations, reflected by the International Air Transport Association's expectation that total airline industry revenues will reach a record USD 996 billion in 2024.

Market Challenges

Persistent supply chain disruptions constitute a major impediment to the growth of the Global Commercial Aircraft Market. These logistical bottlenecks, characterized by shortages in raw materials and critical components such as engines and semiconductors, severely restrict the manufacturing capabilities of original equipment manufacturers. Consequently, production lines are unable to scale up to meet the surging airline demand for new fleet additions. This inability to deliver new units compels airlines to extend the service life of aging, less efficient aircraft, which increases maintenance and fuel costs while simultaneously limiting the total seat capacity available to capture revenue from the global travel recovery.

The disparity between airline fleet requirements and actual manufacturing output is statistically significant. According to the International Air Transport Association, the aviation industry received delivery of only 1,254 commercial aircraft in 2024, a figure approximately 30 percent below the delivery volumes observed during pre-pandemic peaks. This shortfall prevents the market from realizing its full revenue potential, as the backlog of unfilled orders continues to accumulate without a corresponding increase in the transactional turnover of completed assets.

Market Trends

The market is undergoing a fundamental restructuring as airlines increasingly favor long-range narrow-body aircraft to optimize route networks for flexibility and economic efficiency. Carriers are deploying these versatile single-aisle airframes on long-haul routes previously dominated by wide-body jets, enabling direct point-to-point connections with reduced trip costs. This operational shift forces manufacturers to focus industrial resources on increasing throughput for popular narrow-body programs that offer extended range capabilities, effectively altering traditional fleet segmentation. According to Boeing's 'Commercial Market Outlook 2024-2043' from July 2024, single-aisle models are projected to comprise 76 percent of all new commercial airplane deliveries over the next two decades, underscoring the segment's growing dominance.

Concurrently, the aviation sector is aggressively scaling the production and utilization of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) to decouple growth from carbon emissions. This trend aims to transform the energy supply chain to ensure existing and future aircraft meet rigorous environmental mandates without requiring immediate changes to propulsion technology. Airlines are solidifying long-term offtake agreements with energy providers to stimulate infrastructure investment and secure necessary volumes for emissions reduction. According to a June 2024 press release by the International Air Transport Association regarding the 'Net Zero Carbon Emissions' roadmap, production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel is expected to triple in 2024 to reach 1.9 billion liters, demonstrating rapid industrial mobilization to support this transition.

Key Players Profiled in the Commercial Aircraft Market

• Airbus SE
• The Boeing Company
• Embraer S.A.
• Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China
• Bombardier Inc.
• United Aircraft Corporation
• Dassault Aviation
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
• Korea Aerospace Industries
• Textron Aviation

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Commercial Aircraft Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Commercial Aircraft Market, by Aircraft Type:

• Narrow-Body Aircraft
• Wide-body Aircraft
• Regional Aircraft

Commercial Aircraft Market, by Engine Type:

• Turbofan
• Turboprop

Commercial Aircraft Market, by Application:

• Passenger Aircraft
• Freight Aircraft

Commercial Aircraft Market, by End Use:

• Government
• Private

Commercial Aircraft Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Commercial Aircraft Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.