China to remain world's biggest aircraft buyer

A Rolls Royce forecast released at the Beijing Aviation Expo on Wednesday said that China would remain the world's biggest purchaser of aircraft and engines over the next 20 years.

According to the report, passenger traffic in China grows at an annual rate of 8.8 percent and the figure is likely to rise in the future.

The report also predicts that Chinese airlines would buy more than 3,100 new planes over the next two decades, forming a market of 6,600 engines with a total estimated value of 65 billion dollars (46 billion euros).

China's demand is more than a quarter of the total demand for engines in the Asia-Pacific region, which is expected to reach 26,000 engines in the next twenty years.