Aircraft manufacturer Airbus says airlines in the Pacific are expected to order more than 700 new aircraft over the next 20 years to increase fuel efficiency because of high oil prices.

Major airlines in the region such as Qantas, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand were expected to more than double their fleet to 815 in 2030 from the current 422, according to Airbus's latest global market forecast.

The figures include freight aircraft.

Airbus executive vice president programmes and customer services Tom Williams said the manufacturer's economic modelling was based on an oil price of US$120 a barrel.

As long as oil prices did not rise so high that it became a drag on global economic growth, Mr Williams said it would stimulate demand for new aircraft.

"It is forcing people to make decisions about replacing older aircraft in their fleet," Mr Williams told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.

Also, increasing environmental pressures - specifically noise and emissions - would act to push older planes out of service.

Figures from Airbus show growth in traffic this decade had not been matched by a similar increase in jet fuel demand.

While traffic growth had risen about 45 per cent since 2000, the amount of jet fuel used has increased by just three per cent, as more modern engines and aircraft types entered service.

Mr Williams said traffic in the Pacific region, as measured by revenue passenger kilometres, would grow roughly at the global average over the next two decades.

"It is a relatively mature market and not one that is going to grow particularly quickly," Mr Williams said.

Airbus said it expected Pacific-based carriers to order 736 new aircraft over the next 20 years.

The vast majority - 468 - would be for single-aisle aircraft such as the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737.

The European-based manufacturer expected the Pacific region to buy 211 twin-aisle aircraft, comprising models such as the Airbus A330 or Boeing 787 and 777.

The forecast was for 57 new airframes in the very large aircraft category, which covered the Airbus A380 doubledecker superjumbo or Boeing 747.

In terms of the global picture, Airbus expected airlines worldwide to order 27,850 aircraft over the next 20 years. The forecast was a touch more optimistic than the previous year's forecast.

Mr Williams said the dynamic growth in emerging markets, particularly in the Asia Pacific, as well as the accelerated replacement of older aircraft in markets such as North America, would help demand for new planes.