Global Airline Capacity Grows for 8th Consecutive Month

CHICAGO, Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's airlines have scheduled 2.883% more capacity on 1.86% more flights in January 2012, marking the eighth consecutive month of growth compared to the same period last year, according to the latest statistics from OAG, a UBM Aviation brand. The OAG FACTS (Frequency and Capacity Trend Statistics) report for January 2012 reveals that average seats per flight in January total 126, compared to 125 a year ago, in a continued trend of airlines deploying Next Generation aircrafts such as A380s, B777-300ERs or B737-800s, especially in slot-constrained airports.

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Continued Growth in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Latin America Markets

Regionally, the gap between the Asia Pacific and North America intra-region markets has further widened, with Asia Pacific now recording 39% more intra-region seat capacity compared to North America. Schedule frequency and seat capacity to/from Asia Pacific increased by 7.29% and 6.29% respectively against the same period last year. Also noteworthy is the international seat capacity to/from Japan has been restored to pre- Earthquake / Tsunami level. 'Within Central and South America' was the only region to record double digit year-over-year growth in both schedule frequency and seat capacity, and the Middle East region grew schedule frequency and seat capacity 9.08% and 9.24% respectively. 

Africa, Europe, North America Post Declines

On the other end, political instability in Africa contributed to the industry's worst declines, with 'To-From Africa' shedding schedule frequency by 6.58% and seat capacity by 5.69%. Europe again recorded below-par performance, with both inter-region and intra-region schedule frequency and seat capacity development performing below the worldwide average; frequency within Europe declined by 2.11%, while frequency 'To/From Europe' declined 0.57%. Seat capacity within Europe decreased 1.09% but seat capacity 'To/From Europe' increased marginally by 0.18%, possibly due to the bigger aircraft operated by medium- and long-haul carriers from outside the Europe region. The Intra-North America market continued to decline after a marginal rebound in January 2011, with schedule frequency and seat capacity decreasing 3.16% and 2.73% respectively, compared to the corresponding period last year.

"Asia Pacific continues its remarkable growth, and the full recovery in Japan is evidence of the market's strength and a wonderful way to begin 2012. However, the Asia Pacific aviation market faces challenges to maintaining growth due to highly constrained airports in some major hubs, namely Beijing, which is poised to overtake Atlanta as the world's largest airport this year," said John Grant, Executive Vice President, UBM Aviation.

Beijing, Bangkok and Dubai Dominate Growth Among Major Hub Airports

Atlanta remained the largest airport in the world by both schedule frequency and seat capacity, although schedule frequency declined by 3.17% while seat capacity shed 1.51% compared to the same period last year.

In seat capacity terms, Beijing has cemented its position as the second largest seat capacity provider in the world, with 8,449,273 seats offered, a remarkable 4.06% growth over the corresponding period last year.  Beijing is also pulling away from its nearest competitor London Heathrow, almost doubling its seat capacity variance from 323,690 seats last year to 612,732 seats this year.  Beijing is also quickly catching up on schedule frequency, with 2.67% year-over-year growth, the second strongest annual growth rate behind Los Angeles. PEK and LAX are the only two airports that recorded growth in schedule frequency within the top 10 airports globally. In seat capacity terms, Bangkok overtook Hong Kong as the 6^th largest seat capacity provider with 14.44% year-over-year growth to 6,329,628 seats, and similarly, Dubai overtook Los Angeles for the 8^th position with 12.26% year-over-year growth to 6,245,461 seats.

A more detailed review of OAG FACTS statistics for January 2012 – including information, commentary and charts about specific airports, routes, countries and regions worldwide – is available to download now at http://www.oagaviation.com/OAG-FACTS/2012/January-Executive-Summary. OAG FACTS provides a visual snapshot of airline activity around the world, updated monthly. It uses interactive graphs to display 10-year performance trends, sourced from OAG's consolidated database of global airline schedules.

About OAG

OAG, a UBM Aviation brand, is the trusted source for aviation information and analytical services, with data sourced from OAG's comprehensive and proprietary airline schedules, flight status, fleet, MRO and cargo logistics databases.  Our airline schedules database holds future and historical flight details for over 1,000 airlines and more than 4,000 airports. Our aggregated data feeds the world's global distribution systems and travel portals, and drives the internal systems of many airlines, airports, air traffic control systems, aircraft manufacturers, and government agencies around the world.  For more information, visit www.oag.com.

About UBM Aviation

UBM Aviation, a UBM company, brings together buyers and sellers of air travel and transport through our portfolio of products and services.  We specialize in the supply of data, analytics, consulting services, events and media related to the global aviation industry. Our leading brands include the official provider of aviation data and analytics, OAG;  a leading provider of solutions for the air freight industry, OAG Cargo; the world-renowned provider of airport route development forums, marketing and networking events, Routes; the leading route development consultancy firm, Airport Strategy & Marketing (ASM); an international program of aviation exhibitions and conferences including the Airline Purchasing & Maintenance Expo and Conferences; and must-read aviation publications such as Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance and Airline Fleet Management.  For more information, visit www.ubmaviation.com. 

SOURCE UBM Aviation