Boeing has announced it predicts China will need to triple its current air fleet in the next two decades.

Between 2013 and 2032, the company is forecasting demand for 5,580 airplanes from the country in the following 20 years with a total value of $780 billion (£499 billion). The majority of these will be single-aisle models that seat between 90 and 230 passengers.

Vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes Randy Tinseth said: "Thanks to strong economic growth and increased access to air travel, we project China traffic to grow at nearly seven per cent each year."

International long-haul traffic with China is expected to increase by 7.2 per cent annually.

Mr Tinseth states Boeing's Chinese customers are focusing on international networks and growing capacity. This, he argues, will guide the demand for airplanes.

Globally, the company is predicting investments of $4.8 trillion for over 35,000 commercial airplanes in the next 20 years. Of this, China has 16 per cent of both demand and market value.