The world's airlines have scheduled 5 percent more capacity on 3 percent more flights for the fifth month running, according to the latest statistics released by OAG, a UBM Aviation brand.
The Company said the OAG FACTS (Frequency and Capacity Trend Statistics) report for October reveals that 87,176 more scheduled flights will operate this month, offering 16.6 million more seats, continuing a remarkably steady upward trend for the global airline industry compared with 2010. The figures equate to 2.65 million flights for October with a total capacity of 337.3 million seats.
"It is unusual to see such consistent growth in scheduled flights and capacity," said Peter von Moltke, Chief Executive Officer, UBM Aviation. "While profit forecasts for the industry remain weak, these figures indicate that airlines remain confident that passenger demand will continue to buck the gloomy economic outlook."
According to a release, the balance between a higher overall increase in capacity (5 percent) compared to frequency (3 percent) reflects the growing number of carriers replacing older aircraft with larger, 'next generation' aircraft that can carry more passengers. This month's average seat per flight figure is 127 compared to 125 in October 2010.
Growth in Asia Pacific continues to outperform other regions with 11 percent more scheduled flights and 9 percent more capacity to and from its airports. October figures for services within the region are equally impressive, with nearly 100 million seats this month a rise of 8 percent giving intra-Asia Pacific a 30 percent share of worldwide seat capacity.
While the top three airport rankings by capacity have not changed from 2010 (Atlanta, Beijing, London Heathrow), Tokyo Haneda has overtaken Chicago O'Hare as the fourth largest hub airport in the world, supported by its Terminal 3 operations which opened one year ago this month. Tokyo Haneda is likely to continue its growth as more slots are expected to be released for additional schedule services.
The Company noted that the world's top airport, Atlanta, shows a 3 percent decline in scheduled flights and 1 percent decline in seat capacity. Beijing is catching up with a 5 percent increase for flights and seats compared with the same month last year, and is pulling away from London Heathrow as October figures show the gap between the two airports has widened from just 2,739 seats in 2010 to 451,573 seats.
OAG, a UBM Aviation brand, is a trusted source for aviation information and analytical services, with data sourced from OAG's and proprietary airline schedules, flight status, fleet, MRO and cargo logistics databases.
UBM Aviation, a UBM company, brings together buyers and sellers of air travel and transport through portfolio of products and services.
More information:
((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected]))
