INTERCONTINENTAL FLIGHTS BOLSTER GLOBAL AIR TRANSPORT INDUSTRY GROWTH, OAG REVEALS - World airlines plan 2% year-on-year increase in flights and 4% increase in seat capacity
- Intercontinental flights lead industry recovery
- US domestic operations slip back
- China markets surge ahead
The world's airlines will this month operate more than 2.35 million passenger flights, two per cent more than in October 2004. In all, more than 272 million seats are on sale, nearly ten million - or four per cent - more than last year. The figures are revealed in OAG's latest Quarterly Airline Traffic Statistics, a regular snapshot of airline activity around the world. OAG collates data from more than 1,000 scheduled airlines, on a daily basis, to give an overview of anticipated travel demand. While there has been a sharp downturn in the number of flights being operated on US domestic routes, there are big increases in intercontinental operations. Flights to and from Africa are up ten per cent; this month sees a nine per cent increase for flights to and from the Middle East; and flights to and from both Europe and the Asia/Pacific region are up seven per cent. Although airlines have scheduled a four per cent increase in flights to and from North America, the 840,000 US domestic flights timetabled this month is two per cent fewer than in October 2004. "We suspect that the downturn in America's domestic schedules reflects mounting financial concerns within the US air transport industry," says Duncan Alexander, Managing Director of OAG Business Development. "Exacerbated by high fuel prices, these worries are prompting airlines to make more effective use of available capacity." China is once again the scene of massive air transport industry growth. The number of flights to and from China this month is 12 per cent higher than in October last year, while the number of domestic flights is up 18 per cent. OAG also reports a ten per cent growth in flights to and from the UK. - ENDS - For further Information please contact: For further information about OAG please contact Duncan Alexander, Managing Director Business Development at OAG on +44 1582 695476 dalexander@oag.com or Margareta Stanley at DBA on +44 207 930 8033 or e-mail info@nchl.demon.co.uk For more detailed OAG statistical analysis on capacity trends please call Margareta Stanley at DBA on +44 207 930 8033. About OAG OAG is a global content management company specialising in travel and transport.
OAG's expertise is in managing large amounts of data and building applications and products to get that information into the hands of people who need it.
OAG holds a breadth of travel related content. It is best known for its airline schedules database, which holds flight details for 1,000 airlines and more than 3,500 airports. It also aggregates and distributes a wide range of other travel related information such as flight status data, cargo and freight schedules and aviation market intelligence data.
OAG provides a broad range of travel and transportation related products for business and consumer customers, available in virtually any way the customer wants it: Via the Internet, on mobile devices, via digital data transfer and print.
OAG is a private company with over 400 staff in Europe, The Middle East, The Americas and Asia.
To view OAG services visit www.oag.com, www.oagdata.com and www.oagcargo.com Note to Editors: Your comments and suggestions on the information provided are most welcome. dalexander@oag.com
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