European Air Transport Gains Altitude With Extra UK And Spain Flights
10 October 2005
EUROPEAN AIR TRANSPORT GAINS ALTITUDE WITH EXTRA UK AND SPAIN FLIGHTS, OAG REVEALS
- Flights to and from Europe up 7 % year-on-year
- UK's 10% growth leads the way
- Low-cost operations take off in Spain
- Airlines plan 550,000-plus intra-European flights
A headline ten per cent increase in flights to and from the UK will this month bolster European air transport industry growth, according to the latest figures from OAG.
Elsewhere in Europe, the number of flights to and from Spain will be nine per cent higher than in October 2004, with Italy's international timetables packed with eight per cent more flights.
Year-on-year growth figures for Germany and France are more modest – four and three per cent respectively – but still ahead of the global two per cent increase.
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.
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.
Flights to and from Africa are up ten per cent; this month sees a nine per cent increase flights to and from the Middle East; flights to and from the Asia/Pacific region are up seven per cent; North America's increase is just four per cent.
Within Europe, the 550,000+ scheduled flights represent a four per cent increase over October 2004, while the total number of flights to and from Europe – just under 80,000 of them – is seven per cent higher.
Airlines have this month scheduled more than 113,000 flights to and from the UK , nearly one-third of which are “low-cost”. The 5.5 million low-cost airline seats on sale this month is a 24 per cent increase on last October's total.
Commenting on the UK low-cost market, Duncan Alexander, Managing Director for OAG Business Development said:
“This business model just keeps on growing. There will be 5.5 million low-cost seats to, from and within the UK market this month which represents a 24% increase on last October's total”.
Europe's low-cost growth leader, however, is Spain. Compared to October 2004, the number of low-cost flights to and from Spain is up 25 per cent, while low-cost operations within Spain have leapt nearly 160 per cent.
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For more detailed OAG statistical analysis on capacity trends please call Margareta Stanley at DBA on +44 207 930 8033.
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