Upcoming 12th Blogiversary

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June will mark the 12th anniversary of this blog! My very first post was about the way Boeing views the future (for strategy reasons) vs. the way competitor Airbus views the future.

At the time, I indicated a preference for Boeing's view, because it envisioned a point-to-point future for passenger flights, whereas Airbus's vision was for giant jets flying passengers from one airport hub to another.

The difference matters, because these visions of the future guide companies in planning for new products and supply-chain priorities. In turn, suppliers and buyers both consider what Boeing and Airbus think about the future of air travel and the airline industry. They factor these and other projections into their planning for marketing strategy.

In general, what Boeing envisioned in 2006 has come to pass now. As a result, there is higher demand for lighter, fuel-efficient jets than for heavy, gigantic jets like the Airbus 380.

Boeing at this moment sees air travel demand increasing from 2017-2036, according to its Current Market Outlook. In fact, it believes this will mean airlines will need to have twice as many passenger jets in service by 2036, compared with fleet sizes today.

Today, Airbus also believes that demand for air travel and air cargo will increase year after year after year, and by 2036, the company projects a need for 35,000 additional aircraft.

The competition between these rivals continues as the market expands and airlines line up new aircraft. In 2017, Airbus sold more aircraft than Boeing. However, Boeing was the leader in aircraft delivered.

Notice that the focus is on Airbus AND Boeing, because these two manufacturers are the two largest in the world.

How will their competition affect the overall market, including smaller manufacturers?