In its first Global Services Forecast (GSF), unveiled during the Farnborough International Airshow, Airbus said the cumulative value of MRO activity will be in excess of US$1.8 trillion by 2035. It also predicted that annual industry MRO spending will grow 4.6 percent year-on-year, from US$53 billion to US$132 billion per year.

This surge is due to the near-doubling of global commercial aircraft fleet, from 19,500 units with more than 100 seats in 2015 to 40,000 by 2035.

Growth will mainly come from Asia Pacific, due to the high volumes of aircraft expected to be brought into the fleets of the region’s airlines in the next 20 years as the demand for air travel increases. For MRO spending, Europe and North America combined are expected to account for one-third of total market outlay.

This also means more pilots and technicians will be needed in order to meet growth.

Airbus is scheduled to further extend its training-centre network for aircraft technicians, with a new location scheduled to open in Mexico later this summer. New centres are due to open in the next 18 months in New Delhi, along with facilities in Sao Paulo and in Vietnam, where the OEM will partner with Azul and VietJet, respectively.