It indicated no rush to get new aircraft and said it was talking to manufacturers so spending on aircraft this financial year would be less than previously expected. <\/p>\n
Auckland Airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui said with strong demand for travel, global aircraft availability was the major constraint New Zealand faced.<\/p>\n
She made the comments in today\u2019s Herald India Business feature before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also continue to regularly engage airlines directly, presenting business cases, tracking fleet availability, and making sure Auckland remains front of mind when network expansion decisions are made,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Overnight, Airbus said in its Global Market Forecast that urbanisation and GDP growth were driving long-term air travel.<\/p>\n
It said smaller cities were set to grow faster than larger ones, which would cause changes to air travel networks.<\/p>\n
Airbus said alongside aircraft efficiencies, it forecast greater connectivity beyond trunk routes to smaller and medium-sized cities.<\/p>\n
Aircraft such as the A220 could now serve routes such as Melbourne-Alice Springs, Airbus said.<\/p>\n
That aircraft also started operating on the Qantas Wellington-Brisbane service <\/a>this year.<\/p>\n The five-abreast aircraft is the smallest commercial model Airbus currently produces.<\/p>\n \u201cEnhanced aircraft range is also opening new city pairs, allowing direct connections,\u201d Airbus added.<\/p>\n The European manufacturer had a record-high backlog of 9000 aircraft.<\/p>\n It said post-Covid ageing of fleets was accelerating replacement demand, especially favouring fuel-efficient, new-generation aircraft.<\/p>\n Airbus forecast newest-generation aircraft would comprise almost the entire global fleet by 2045, up from 39% today.<\/p>\n It said 81% of new aircraft needed would be narrowbodies and 19% widebodies, reflecting desires for more cost-effective and lower-emission models.<\/p>\n Airbus highlighted market potential in South and Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n \u201cTraffic patterns are evolving due to robust growth in developing economies like India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.<\/p>\n \u201cA significant evolution includes increased international migration and family-related passenger travel.\u201d<\/p>\n The manufacturer said global air traffic demand was robust.<\/p>\n \u201cShort term disruptions like regional conflicts and high fuel prices are not dampening demand long term.\u201d<\/p>\nA Qantas A220-300 typically has 10 business class and 127 economy class seats. Photo \/ Airbus<\/p>\n