The FAA released its Annual Aerospace Forecast report today, which provides a comprehensive examination of current and future trends in air transportation for the next 20 years. The comprehensive report looks at all aspects of aviation including the numbers of flights, commercial airline passenger totals, aircraft fleet size, private flying, and international travel. The FAA uses the forecast to determine how best to devote its workforce and resources, and the aviation community also uses the forecast for planning and investments.
According to the report, the general aviation fleet is forecast to increase from 220,670 aircraft in 2012 to 246,375 in 2033, growing an average of 0.5% a year. GA hours flown are forecast to increase from 24.6M in 2012 to 33.6M in 2033, an growth of 1.5% a year. And while fixed-wing turbine aircraft and rotorcraft both are expected to grow 2.8% and 2.7% per year respectively, fixed-wing piston aircraft decline at a rate of 0.3% per year.
A fact sheet is available to provide a snapshot of the report’s projections at www.faa.gov/news/updates.
