OAG Reveals 7th Consecutive Month of Global Airline Capacity Growth, Despite Declining U.S. and European Markets

Beijing Likely to Replace Atlanta as the World's Largest Airport in 2012

CHICAGO, Dec. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The world's airlines have scheduled 3% more capacity on 2% more flights in December 2011, marking the seventh 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 December reveals that 51,166 more scheduled flights offering 10.5 million more seats will operate this month, totalling 322 million seats on 2.5 million flights. Average seats per flight in December total 126, compared to 124 a year ago.

However, declining performance in the U.S. and Europe continues to offset the explosive growth in Asia Pacific and Latin America – comparatively, December 2010 global capacity and frequency grew 5.7% and 4.8% respectively versus the December 2009 period. The U.S. is the largest global market affected by declining airline capacity, with December 2011 domestic capacity and frequency down 3% and 4% respectively versus the year-ago period.  The U.S. domestic share of global capacity is now 21%, down from 32% in 2002, driven by the rise of non-U.S. markets and the rapid growth of those markets. In contrast, intra-Asia's market share of global capacity has consistently risen from 23.5% in December 2002 to over 31% in December 2011. 

In Europe, monthly capacity has remained flat since 2008, with December 2011 showing a 4% decline versus December 2010. Intra-EU share of global capacity in December 2011 is 14%, which is slightly lower than where it started in December 2002, driven by ground transport competition and almost no intra-EU network growth by legacy carriers.

"A continued weak economy, airline consolidation, high fuel prices and fragile yields are making it difficult for airlines to invest new capacity in mature, low-growth markets, which are primarily secondary U.S. hubs and intra-Europe markets where ground transportation is a viable alternative to air travel," said Peter von Moltke, Chief Executive Officer, UBM Aviation. "This creates an opportunity for Low Cost Carriers to gain share, as the world's major carriers leave smaller markets and prepare to serve hundreds of millions of new passengers in Asia, India, Russia, the Middle East and Brazil over the next five to ten years."

Major Hub Airports

The world's busiest airport (by passenger traffic), Atlanta, saw a 3% decline in capacity and 5% decline in frequency in December 2011 versus the year-ago period. Beijing, second in passenger traffic volume, grew 4% and 3% in capacity and schedule frequency respectively. Only 400,000 monthly seats now separate these global giants, suggesting that Beijing will become the world's largest airport in 2012.

A more detailed review of OAG FACTS statistics for December 2011 – 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/2011/December-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.