Number of Scheduled Airline Flights Reaches New Monthly Record

Low-cost airlines are responsible for most of the growth in the number of scheduled airline flights this May compared with last May. The European low-cost carrier easyJet recently took delivery of its 100th new Airbus A319. Credit: Airbus S.A.S.

Airlines worldwide will operate 2.51 million airline flights in May, establishing a new record for the number of flights flown in a month.

The previous monthly high for the airline industry was 2.49 million flights in August 2006.

Carriers will operate 113,827 more flights and offer 17.7 million more aircraft seats this month than they did in May 2006, according to global flight information and data solutions company OAG. These numbers represent a 5 percent increase year on year in flights and capacity.

The figures are revealed in the latest OAG Quarterly Airline Traffic Statistics, a regular snapshot of airline activity around the world. OAG collates data daily from more than 1,000 scheduled airlines to provide an overview of anticipated travel demand.

OAG's airline schedules database holds future and historical flight details for 1,000 airlines and more than 3,500 airports. It will track around 28 million departures this year.

Much of the growth in flights and seats over the last year has come from low-cost airlines, said OAG. The low-cost sector is offering 70,000 more flights and 12 million more seats this month than it did a year ago. These numbers are respectively up 22 percent and 26 percent on the sector's May 2006 flight and seat totals.

Low-cost airlines now account for 16 percent of all flights worldwide and one in five of all airline seats, said OAG.

"May clearly shows the continued schedule expansion in the international and low cost sectors while the Americas has experienced relatively modest growth," said Joseph Laughlin, OAG's vice president of sales.

This month there are over 29,000 more flights and 5.5 million more seats within Europe, up 5 percent and 8 percent respectively over May 2006.

Strong growth continues within the Asia/Pacific region. The region will see 38,000 more flights and 6.2 million more seats this month, increases of 8 percent and 9 percent respectively over the same month last year.

Although its growth is relatively modest at 3 percent for both flights and seats, North America will see 2.5 million additional seats on 26,000 more domestic flights this month.

Growth is especially strong within the Middle East region and for international flights to and from Africa. OAG statistics for this month show an increase of 13 percent in flights within the Middle East region, or 4,000 flights and half a million seats.

There are 3,300 more international flights to and from Africa, 14 percent more than last May. These flights are offering 600,000 more seats, a capacity increase of 13 percent.

The low-cost airline sectors in all regions show steady growth compared with a year ago. Low cost airlines have scheduled 19,000 more flights (3.5 million more seats) within the Asia Pacific region; 17,500 more flights (2 million more seats) within North America; and 25,700 more flights (4.9 million more seats) within Europe.

The United States-European Union 'Open Skies' agreement is due to start imminently. Transatlantic flights for May 2007 are up by 6 percent, or 1,400 more flights a month, compared with May last year. Some 420,000 more seats are on offer.

But the biggest year-on-year percentage increase between regions is on flights linking Western Europe with Africa. This month there are over 2,200 or 13 percent more flights scheduled between the two regions than there were last May, with 360,000 more seats available.

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