Dubai, Singapore Changi lead hub growth

SYDNEY – Global airline capacity for January 2010 shows positive growth compared to January 2009, reports OAG.

This marks the fifth consecutive month in which airline capacity has shown growth, with 294.6 million available seats this month, an increase of three percent over January 2009.

Global frequencies are up two percent compared to January 2009, with a total of 2.37 million flights scheduled for January 2010.

Worldwide, frequency and capacity in the low-cost sector are up by 10 percent compared to a year ago.

“As they should be, the airlines are cautious about the early signs of recovery and gradually increasing their capacity in the marketplace.

“It is a wise strategy, which should help them manage better yields as the economy recovers,” said Mario Hardy, vice president Asia Pacific, OAG Aviation.

“This is of note in Asia, as frequency and capacity both into and within the region, are showing continued increases,” Hardy said.

Analysis of major routes reveals that while certain routes are experiencing positive growth, others continue to decline.

Frequency and capacity between Western Europe and the Middle East reflect an increase of seven percent, with 1002 more flights and 194,307 more seats compared to January 2009.

Routes between Western Europe and Africa show healthy growth, with 3,887 more flights (increase of 19%) and 690,790 more seats (18% increase).

Showing decline is the transatlantic market between North America and Western Europe, with a five percent decrease in seats (287,979). Frequencies are down six percent, with 1,274 fewer flights for the month.

A hubs analysis reveals that Dubai has the biggest growth, with a 17 percent increase in frequency and capacity compared to January 2009.

Singapore Changi shows a six percent increase in flight frequency (1,235 flights) and a three percent increase in capacity (131,971 seats).

The figures are revealed in the January 2010 edition of OAG FACTS (Frequency & Capacity Trend Statistics), the dynamic monthly market intelligence tool providing the latest data on current passenger airline activity around the world. (www.oagaviation.com).