Airbus projects strong aftermarket demand in the next two decades in China

Beijing, China, 15 January 2026 – In its latest Global Services Forecast (GSF), Airbus highlights the center of gravity of aftermarket services shows an eastward trend with China as the largest market in market value, rising from US$24.8 billion in 2025 to US$63.8 billion by 2044. 

China is the largest single country market for Airbus in terms of fleet in the world. The year 2025 represented a strong growth in China led by the domestic market with the passenger volume growing by 17% compared to the pre-epidemic year 2019, while international traffic continues to accelerate with over 90% recovery from the 2019 level. Ongoing investments in airport infrastructure and air traffic management have supported rising traffic volumes while maintaining high operational efficiency. According to Airbus’ Global Market Forecast, China is expected to take delivery of approximately 9,570 new aircraft over the next 20 years, further reinforcing demand for services across the aircraft lifecycle.

According to the GSF China report, five key domains drives this growth:

• Off-Wing Maintenance (2025: US$17 billion; 2044: US$44.8 billion) – The largest aftermarket segment driven by an increasing number of shop visits due to an aging and growing fleet.
• On-Wing Maintenance (2025: US$3 billion, 2044: US$6.8 billion) – A crucial area, ranging from frequent light inspections to heavy checks, representing routine maintenance growth in line with the overall growing fleet.
• Modifications & Upgrades (2025: US$1.8 billion; 2044: US$3.1 billion) – A dynamic sector with significant activity in complex cabin and systems upgrades to enhance passenger experience and extend the aircraft lifecycle.
• Digital & Connectivity (2025: US$1.4 billion, 2044: US$5.1 billion) – The fastest-growing sector, with the aim of enabling smarter, more connected operations, from predictive maintenance and fuel-saving flight paths to seamless passenger experience.
• Training (2025: US$1.6 billion, 2044: US$3.9 billion) – Additional and advanced human skills remain key to meet the growing demand. Over 485,000 new aviation professionals will be needed by 2044, including 131,000 new pilots, 143,000 new technicians and 211,000 new cabin crew.

Airbus identified that airlines are also accelerating their digital transformation journey with new steps toward an interconnected ecosystem. In China, over 9,000 aircraft will be equipped with inflight connectivity services, leading to more efficient operations on the ground, in the skies and along the full aircraft lifecycle, saving over US$2.2 billion with digital tech ops and US$5.7 billion through fuel cost reduction while the passengers will get better onboard experiences.

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