Airbus expected China would need to place orders totaling US$230 billion to meet demand for 1,790 passenger and cargo aircraft over the next two decades, the firm said Tuesday.

"Air transport will become even more essential as a facilitator of China's strong economic growth than in the past, both in passenger and freight traffic,�� said Laurent Rouaud, Airbus vice president for market forecasts research.

Rouaud said China's demand for small twin-aisle aircraft was expected to be 440 planes over the next 20 years.

Chinese carriers have increasingly divided their purchases between Airbus and Boeing Co. after years of dominance by Boeing. China is expected to have the fastest-growing demand for passenger jets over the next 20 years, becoming the world��s second-largest market after the United States.

Over the next 10 years, Airbus expects passenger traffic in China to rise 9.1 percent a year and the country's freight traffic to increase 9 percent annually.

Rouaud said the trend would necessitate aircraft in all market segments and, from Airbus's perspective, the 100-seater A318 to the 555-seater A380.

"Air traffic and aircraft demand could be further stimulated by the low-cost carriers in the region," he said.

Globally, Airbus expects airlines to require more than 17,300 new aircraft between 2004 and 2023.

Source: Shenzhen Daily-Agencies