Airlines set for growth

OAG’s, the aviation data specialist, latest airline capacity data for August shows that carriers worldwide are expected to see an increase of 2% in flights versus last year, and an increase of 5% capacity. 

The indications that the airline business is about to prosper again are borne out by the June figures of International Air Transport Association (IATA), which have now also been published.  These are actual passenger numbers rather than seats offered.  These show a year-on-year growth of 6% but exclude for the most part low-cost carriers. (see also Middle East airport expansion in this issue)

Tony Tyler, IATA's Director General and CEO commented:  "June was a positive month for passenger markets.  The stability in the Eurozone, albeit tentative, is giving a boost to business and consumer confidence.  And the load factor at 81.7% shows that airlines are efficiently meeting increasing demand for travel.  But there are some headwinds.  Growth in the BRICS economies, including China, is slowing.  And oil prices remain high.  The industry is still on track to make US$4 per passenger this year for a global net profit of US$12.7bn.  But there is little margin for error and even a small change in the second half of the year could shift the outlook significantly." www.oag.com www.iata.org

Index/Home page
 

OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum