Aeronautical Engineers Inc (AEI) noted during the presentation of its 2022 results that while it delivered a total of 41 freighters in 2022 from around the world, it expects demand for cargo aircraft to «level off» after the current year.
The Boeing 737-800SF accounted for the largest share of deliveries, with a total of 31 aircraft. The remainder was a mix of B737-400SFs, CRJ-200SFs, and MD-80SFs. Based on its current order book, the company estimates it will deliver approximately 44 freighters by 2023. The B737-800SF again is the most ordered aircraft, while the other programs will continue to produce stable numbers. The company estimates it will deliver four B737-400SFs, four CRJ-200SFs, and four MD-80SFs in 2023.
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Robert T. Convey, senior vice president of sales and marketing at AEI, said of these results: «We are very pleased with the strong number of orders for our 737-800 cargo conversion.» He also added, «given the current economic uncertainty, we expect the annual pace of freighter deliveries to «stabilize somewhat» after 2023.»
As Aviacionline reported at the end of the year, the freighter market is in decline as the world leaves the pandemic in the rearview mirror. During the presentation of the air cargo market forecast at the IATA Global Media Days, it was noted that after robust growth, the global air cargo market started to cool down. After peaks in 2020 and 2021, with year-on-year growth of more than 50%, in recent months the decline has increased in all regions.
The so-called airfreight boom in recent years has led to a trend toward increased deliveries of new freighter aircraft. This is not good news for yields as aircraft will continue to be added to a cooling market.
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