Aircraft ACMI leasing market seen reaching $16.73B by 2030

By AI, Created 2:46 PM UTC, May 22, 2026, /AGP/ – The aircraft ACMI leasing market is forecast to grow from $10.81 billion in 2025 to $16.73 billion by 2030 as airlines seek flexible capacity, cargo operators expand and global travel demand rises. North America led the market in 2025, while Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region.

Why it matters: - Aircraft ACMI leasing gives airlines a fast way to add aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance without buying planes. - The model helps carriers handle seasonal demand, keep flights running during maintenance and launch new routes with lower upfront cost. - Growing passenger traffic and cargo demand are pushing more airlines toward flexible capacity solutions.

What happened: - The Business Research Company released its Aircraft ACMI Leasing Global Market Report 2026, covering market size, trends and forecasts through 2035. - The report puts the market at $10.81 billion in 2025 and $11.78 billion in 2026. - The forecast calls for the market to reach $16.73 billion by 2030. - The report estimates a 8.9% CAGR from 2025 to 2026 and a 9.2% CAGR through 2030. - North America held the largest market share in 2025. - Asia-Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period.

The details: - ACMI stands for aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance. - ACMI leasing is used for short-term fleet boosts, seasonal routes, maintenance cover and new route launches. - The report cites airline fleet expansion, seasonal passenger traffic, global tourism growth, low-cost carrier expansion and better aircraft utilization as major growth drivers. - Flexible capacity, air cargo growth, route-network expansion and cost-effective fleet management are key reasons behind the 2030 outlook. - The report also points to rising use of wet lease ACMI arrangements. - Other noted trends include stronger demand for cargo ACMI services and more outsourcing of crew and maintenance functions. - The analysis covers Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Africa. - The report adds market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrix graphics, Excel forecasting dashboards, market hotspot infographics, key technology analysis and updated graphics and tables. - A free sample is available here. - The full report is available here.

Between the lines: - The market outlook shows ACMI leasing moving from a backup option to a core fleet-management tool. - Airlines appear to be prioritizing operational flexibility over asset ownership as travel demand becomes less predictable. - Cargo growth is expanding the use case beyond passenger airlines. - The regional split suggests mature aviation markets still dominate today, while growth is shifting toward markets with rising air travel demand.

What’s next: - The report expects demand to keep rising as airlines look for short-term capacity and lower-capital operating models. - Emerging aviation markets are likely to add more volume to ACMI leasing demand. - Cargo ACMI and seasonal route support are set to remain important growth areas. - The company is also highlighting related market reports across vehicle-to-home aggregation, farm warehousing and automobile remanufacturing.