Airbus has released its latest Global Services Forecast, projecting that the global aviation services market will roughly double in size between 2026 and 2045, reaching an estimated value of more than US$420 billion, at a compound annual growth rate of about 3.8%.

The planemaker said the industry will need to hire about 2.44 million people over the next two decades to keep pace with air travel demand. That figure includes roughly 730,000 maintenance workers, where acute labour shortages have been one of the sector's biggest headaches, along with about 1.05 million cabin crew and 660,000 pilots.

The forecast is also underpinned by a growing global fleet, which is expected to exceed 45,000 aircraft over the same period, driving demand for aftermarket services and maintenance.

Source: Reuters