Global seat capacity up 3% in Dec-2011: OAG

OAG reports (01-Dec-2011) global airline capacity and frequency will rise 3% and 2% year-on-year, respectively, in Dec-2011. Details include:

• Global: +3% capacity, +2% scheduled services year-on-year;
  • To/from Asia Pacific: +7%, +8%;
  • To/from Europe: +1.6%, +0.2%;
  • To/from Middle East: +8.6%, +8.5%;
  • To/from North America: +2.5%, +5.3%;
  • To/from Central and South America: +6%, +7.2%;
  • To/from Africa: -5%, -5.6%. [more - original PR]

OAG: "A continued weak economy, airline consolidation, high fuel prices and fragile yields are making it difficult for airlines to invest new capacity in mature, low-growth markets, which are primarily secondary U.S. hubs and intra-Europe markets where ground transportation is a viable alternative to air travel. This creates an opportunity for Low Cost Carriers to gain share, as the world's major carriers leave smaller markets and prepare to serve hundreds of millions of new passengers in Asia, India, Russia, the Middle East and Brazil over the next five to ten years," CEO, UBM Aviation, Peter von Moltke. Source: Company statement, 01-Dec-2011.