(Yicai Global) Sept. 30 -- China will need about 600 cargo aircraft in the next two decades because demand will increase as fewer international flights due to the pandemic has curtailed the shipment of goods on passenger planes, the Paper reported the head of Airbus China as saying.

The rest of the world will need about 1,400 cargo aircraft, Xu Gang said at the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, being held in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai through Oct. 3. Another reason for rising demand is the rapid development of e-commerce, he said.

As of the end of last month, the European aircraft maker has delivered 87 planes to the Chinese mainland this year, making up 53 percent of Airbus’ global total and reaching pre-pandemic levels, Xu said. Last year, it delivered 99 planes to China, 17.5 percent of the firm’s total.

Most of the cargo planes in operation are actually passenger aircraft modified to carry goods, and China will have a sufficient supply of such jets in the next decade, Xu said. As global demand for cargo planes is growing significantly, Airbus is seeking Chinese partners to explore opportunities in the modification and operation fields, he added.

Airbus still estimate that international and regular flight schedules will not fully resume until 2023 or even 2025, Xu noted.

Xu also introduced Airbus’ helicopter business. China has around 1,000 civil helicopters, 35 percent of which are from Airbus, compared with 12,000 and 8,000-plus in the United States and Europe, respectively. Future demand for civil helicopters in the country will boom, Xu said.

Editor: Futura Costaglione