Commercial aviation: Half of world’s top airlines still lagging behind pre-pandemic seat capacity

Global seat capacity for commercial aviation remains below pre-pandemic levels, with half of the world’s top 20 largest airlines experiencing a decline compared to 2019, according to a recent report by schedules analyzer OAG. Despite a 7.2% increase in global seat capacity in July compared to the previous month, overall capacity still lags behind, sitting 2.2% below 2019 levels.

The Asia-Pacific region leads in terms of seat capacity, offering 185.7 million seats, which accounts for 36% of global seats in July. North East Asia, including China, is a significant driver of capacity growth, contributing 112.3 million seats or 60% of the region’s capacity. China’s major carriers, such as China Eastern, Air China, and China Southern, have experienced a strong resurgence both domestically and on international routes. Other active airlines in the region include Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, China Airlines, Korean Air, and Asiana Airlines.

In Europe, seat capacity stands at 133.9 million, with airlines in Western Europe accounting for 85% of the total. However, the region as a whole is still behind 2019 levels, with Eastern and Central Europe lagging by 16% and Western Europe by 3%. North America boasts 113.2 million seats, a slight increase of 0.4% compared to July 2019, with a promising growth rate of 5% from the previous month.

Among the world’s top 20 largest airlines, half of them are operating with fewer flights than in July 2019. This includes major US carriers such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines, which are operating between 14.5% and 17.5% fewer flights compared to 2019. However, Southwest Airlines has managed to buck the trend, operating 6% more flights than in 2019.

On the other hand, airlines operating ahead of 2019 levels include Southwest Airlines, Ryanair, China Eastern, China Southern, IndiGo, Air China, Turkish Airlines, Azul Airlines, Japan Airlines, and LATAM Airlines Group. Air Canada, unfortunately, is experiencing the largest decline, offering 30% fewer flights compared to 2019.

The top five country pairs with the highest seat availability are Spain-United Kingdom, Mexico-USA, Canada-USA, Germany-Spain, and Germany-Turkey. The Mexico-USA route has seen a significant increase, with 4.14 million seats available, marking a 23% growth compared to 2019 and an 8% increase from the previous month. The Spain-UK route, with 5.24 million seats, is the only pair with more seats but still falls 5% below 2019 levels.

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