Small but significant airline capacity increases on flights to and from the U.S. and Canada could mean the start of a gradual recovery in North America's air transportation industry,
according to data just released from the Official Airline Guide (OAG).
While the volume of worldwide flights remains the same as in April 2005, there has been a modest three per cent increase in flights to and from North America.
"The North American aviation industry has been languishing in the doldrums for some years now," says Joe Laughlin, VP Sales and Service for OAG, "and although a three per cent increase - an additional 3,305 flights - is only a small beginning, it is at least a beginning."
There are significant regional variations, too. The number of transatlantic flights timetabled for this month is four per cent up over last April's figure, while there is a five per cent increase in flights between the U.S. and Canada and the rest of the Americas.
On trans-Pacific routes, the additional 483 flights scheduled this month represent a six per cent increase over the April 2005 total.
The figures are revealed in OAG's latest Quarterly Airline Traffic Statistics, a regular snapshot of airline activity around the world. OAG reviews data from more than 1000 scheduled airlines to give an overview of anticipated travel demand.
The U.S. domestic market continues to disappoint, although there is a positive side to the six per cent decrease in the number of flights on offer. "Airlines are taking a pragmatic approach to market conditions;" says Laughlin. "balancing revenue and capacity."
Regional figures show that the Middle East's aviation industry is outperforming the rest of the world by a significant margin. The number of flights to and from the region this month is 16 per cent higher than in April 2005, while the intra-regional figure is 13 per cent up. The number of Middle East low-cost flights has doubled since last year.
