After a hectic but eventful summer in the northern hemisphere, the global commercial aviation sector appears to be in good health. Although seat capacity has increased steadily month-on-month, it remains below 2019 figures. Notably, eleven of the world’s 20 largest airlines are still working to catch up with their October 2019 performance.
China is particularly efficient. According to OAG’s October Airline Frequency and Capacity Trends Statistics report, October capacity increased 2.1% from the previous month and lagged by just 0. 8% compared to October 2019. OAG’s calendar analysis predicts that this month, global seat capacity will reach 490.5 million, mainly driven by the efforts of Northeast Asian airlines, which includes China. This region added 4%, bringing its total capacity to 107.7 million seats.
In the Asia-Pacific region, there are 180.7 million seats available this month. Although there has been some gradual recovery in Southeast Asia, the region as a whole contributes 37% of global capacity. The Northeast Asia region, led by China and including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, accounts for 60% of Asia-Pacific’s total capacity, but still lags slightly behind by 0.2 % compared to 2019 levels.
With the elimination of complex border and travel restrictions in China, major carriers like China Eastern, China Southern and Air China surpassed their 2019 performance and posted robust growth in October. Outside of China, other Northeast Asian carriers, such as Japan Airlines, China Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, also performed well.
In Europe, capacity in October stands at 123.8 million, of which 87% is carried by Western European airlines. This combined region represents 25% of global capacity but remains below 2019 levels, with Eastern and Central Europe seeing a decline of 16.5% and Western Europe a slight decline of 0.1%. In North America, 109.8 million seats are available, representing 22% of global capacity, or 3.3% more than in October 2019, with a good monthly growth rate of 4.6%.
How are airlines performing?
The report reveals that among the world’s 20 largest airlines, eleven are operating with lower frequencies than in October 2019, including six from North America. These airlines include American Airlines (-13.7%), Delta Air Lines (-14.7%), United Airlines (-14.1%), Alaska Airlines (-14.1%), Air Canada (-31 .4%) and JetBlue (-7.6%). ). EasyJet, Lufthansa, All Nippon Airways, British Airways and Azul Airlines are also working to recover.
In terms of recovery compared to 2019, the leaders are IndiGo (+31.2%), Ryanair (+29.8%), Air China (+27.4%), Southwest Airlines (+10%) and Turkish Airlines (+9.5%). Other airlines exceeding their pre-pandemic frequencies include China Southern, China Eastern, LATAM and Japan Airlines.
The top five country pairs are Spain-UK, Mexico-US, Germany-Spain, Canada-US and Germany-Turkey. The Mexico-United States pair has 3.32 million seats in October, an increase of 27.8% compared to October 2019 and growth of 11.2% compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the Spain-UK pair offers 4.7 million seats, representing a 4.7% drop on the previous month but still a 2.9% improvement on 2019.
Of the ten largest domestic markets, five have higher capacity than in 2019, with China leading with 14.6% more seats, followed by Brazil with 12.8% and Vietnam with an increase of 8, 1% compared to 2019. Canada ranks last. has regained its domestic market among the top 10, experiencing a capacity drop of 13.7% compared to October 2019.
Source: simpleflying.com
