Boeing Projects Middle East Fleet Will Top 3,500 Planes by 2045

Boeing expects the Middle East’s commercial aircraft fleet to surpass 3,500 planes by 2045, with its latest 20-year outlook calling for 2,995 deliveries as passenger traffic expands across the region.

The forecast covers 2026 through 2045. Single-aisle aircraft account for 1,505 of the projected deliveries, while the outlook includes 1,370 widebodies and 120 freighters. The figures describe forecast demand, not confirmed orders.

At 1,370 planes, widebodies make up nearly half of the projected total. Single-aisle jets form the largest category, and freighters make up the remainder. Boeing also expects passenger traffic in the Middle East to grow at an annual rate of 4.3% over the forecast period.

The outlook extends Boeing’s prior forecast by one year. In 2025, the company projected 2,950 deliveries for 2025–2044 and said the region’s fleet would more than double by 2044. The updated projection covers a different 20-year span, so the two delivery totals do not provide a like-for-like measure of changing demand.

Boeing’s forecast also includes $475 billion in commercial aviation services investment and demand for 236,000 new aviation professionals through 2045. The figures point to projected needs beyond aircraft deliveries, covering services and staffing alongside fleet growth.

“The region’s airlines have proven to be resilient and continue to adapt as conditions evolve,” said Shahab Matin, Boeing managing director of Commercial Marketing, Middle East and Africa. Boeing’s updated outlook runs through 2045.