Airline frequency and capacity statistics

Air travel data from the experts

April 2026

Which is the biggest airline in the world? Which country pairs have most capacity this month? How many flights are there per day, worldwide and what are the latest airline statistics? And how many airlines and airports are in operation? Our Airline Frequency and Capacity Statistics answer all these questions and more with key facts and figures about air travel and global capacity, using flight data from OAG's Schedules Analyser; a cutting-edge platform for airline schedule analysis. 

 

Key Points From April's Airline Frequency and Capacity Data:

  • Global capacity is expected to be 504 million seats in April 2026, just 1% higher than April 2025. The rolling year-on-year growth rate of around 3% has slowed due to global instability, with some markets significantly affected.
  • Spain–UK returns to the number one spot for international country pairs in the summer season, with year-on-year growth of 8.7%, taking the market to 5.1 million seats.
  • China is the fastest-growing domestic market this month, up 4.1% year on year. Australia is also recording strong capacity growth, up 3.8%, while Indian domestic capacity has returned to growth at +3.4% year on year.
  • North and South American carriers are mostly adding frequency, with the US major airlines growing at between 2–4% year on year. LATAM Airlines Group has increased flights by 6.6% year on year.

This month, schedules data for Middle East airlines — including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad — reflects airlines' plans at the point schedules were filed and is likely to be subject to change.

Scheduled flight counter

 Flights in the schedule 20th December 2025 - 12th April 2026

Our flight frequency counter shows the number of (one-way) flights in the schedule from Monday 29th December 2025* to the end of the current week. With 10,648,676 flights in total to the end of this week, the average number of commercial flights per day is 102,391.

*The 'year' runs from Monday 29th December 2025 when week one of the schedule starts.

Weekly airline capacity data

How much airline capacity is scheduled this week?

This chart shows the most recent weekly global (domestic + international) , domestic and international airline capacity. The dotted line represents capacity in the airlines' future schedules for the next 11 weeks, helping you monitor changes in worldwide airline capacity.  

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Airline and airport count

 How many airlines are there in the world?

  • In March 2026, there are 717 airlines operating worldwide.
  • There are currently 3,921 airports in operation. 

Top twenty airlines (frequency)
  • This month sees mixed results in flight volumes for the world's largest carriers.
  • North and South American carriers are mostly adding frequency, with the US major airlines growing at between 2–4% year on year.
  • LATAM Airlines Group, South America's largest carrier, has increased flights by 6.6% year on year.
  • Carriers reducing frequency include Air Canada, down 7.8%; Qantas, down 5.1%; and British Airways, down 1.2% year on year.

Top twenty international airlines (ASKs) 
  • The impact of the Middle East conflict is clearly evident, with Emirates' scheduled ASKs for April down by almost 40% year on year, and Qatar Airways down by 31%.
  • Cathay Pacific has seen ASKs increase by 15.3% this month, partly due to additional frequencies added to Europe and the US, and partly due to longer routings to avoid restricted airspace.
  • Singapore Airlines has also recorded an ASK increase of 4.3% year on year.

Domestic markets

Where is most domestic air capacity this month?

  • China is the fastest-growing domestic market this month, with capacity up 4.1% compared to April 2025.
  • Australia is also recording strong capacity growth, up 3.8% year on year.
  • Indian domestic capacity has returned to growth, up 3.4% year on year.
  • Growth continues to stall in Indonesia, where seats have dropped by 0.8% year on year.
  • The Japanese domestic market continues to contract, down 2.2% year on year.

Top twenty country pairs for travel

 

Which two countries visit each other most?

  • As is the case each summer season, Spain–UK returns to the number one spot for international country pairs, with year-on-year growth of 8.7%, taking the market to 5.1 million seats — despite Easter holidays falling partly in March this year.
  • Italy–UK is recording a similar growth rate, up 8.5% compared to April 2025.
  • Among the strongest-growing country pairs, China–South Korea is up 15.7% year on year.
  • China–Hong Kong has grown 12.7% year on year.
  • China–Thailand is up 13.7% year on year, although this market remains considerably behind its 2019 volumes.

Airline capacity by region

 

Which world region has most airline capacity?

  • Global capacity is expected to be 504 million seats in April 2026, just 1% higher than April 2025.
  • The rolling year-on-year growth rate of around 3% has slowed since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, with some markets significantly affected.
  • Middle East capacity is down by more than a quarter year on year, as operations remain restricted.
  • Central Asia continues to see strong growth, up 8.3% year on year.
  • Eastern/Central Europe is also recording healthy growth, up 9.1% year on year.

FAQs about airline frequecy and capacity stats

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