LCCs and SkyTeam member airlines continue to grow their share of global aviation
The world's airlines may be feeling the chill winds of economic downturn, but they continue to grow capacity at a rapid clip. Total capacity measured by available seat kilometres (ASKs) will grow by 7.1% this month, according to Innovata. The world's LCCs are, again, growing ahead of the global average, by 8.5%, while SkyTeam Alliance capacity is growing by 18.3%, thanks to the enlargement of the grouping and expansion by its members.
SkyTeam now accounts for 17.8% of worldwide capacity (up 1.7 ppts year-on-year). It still trails Star Alliance's 25.3% share (-1 ppt) but is closing the gap. oneworld has a 13.8% share of ASKs (down 0.1 ppt), while the world's LCCs and un-aligned airlines account for 17% and 26.2% of global aviation, respectively.
LCC vs Unaligned vs Alliances capacity and shares (%) of global aviation: Oct-2010 vs Oct-2011*
| % of Totals | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Time Series | Oct-10 | Oct-11 | % Change | Oct-10 | Oct-11 | Variance |
| Oneworld | Flights per Week | 54,814 | 56,048 | 2.3% | 9.5% | 9.4% | -0.1% |
| Seats per Week | 7,697,791 | 7,876,262 | 2.3% | 10.7% | 10.4% | -0.3% | |
| ASKs per Week | 16,906,484,100 | 17,953,166,869 | 6.2% | 13.9% | 13.8% | -0.1% | |
| SkyTeam Alliance | Flights per Week | 82,992 | 93,863 | 13.1% | 14.4% | 15.7% | 1.3% |
| Seats per Week | 10,441,612 | 12,395,098 | 18.7% | 14.5% | 16.3% | 1.8% | |
| ASKs per Week | 19,559,252,569 | 23,133,905,521 | 18.3% | 16.1% | 17.8% | 1.7% | |
| Star Alliance | Flights per Week | 147,770 | 143,734 | -2.7% | 25.6% | 24.1% | -1.5% |
| Seats per Week | 17,729,106 | 17,599,126 | -0.7% | 24.6% | 23.1% | -1.4% | |
| ASKs per Week | 31,916,469,176 | 32,908,883,784 | 3.1% | 26.3% | 25.3% | -1.0% | |
| Low Cost Carriers | Flights per Week | 112,929 | 121,674 | 7.7% | 19.6% | 20.4% | 0.8% |
| Seats per Week | 16,643,500 | 18,057,727 | 8.5% | 23.1% | 23.8% | 0.7% | |
| ASKs per Week | 20,176,156,448 | 22,120,957,913 | 9.6% | 16.6% | 17.0% | 0.4% | |
| Un-aligned Carriers | Flights per Week | 177,771 | 180,961 | 1.8% | 30.8% | 30.3% | -0.5% |
| Seats per Week | 19,662,111 | 20,094,605 | 2.2% | 27.2% | 26.4% | -0.8% | |
| ASKs per Week | 32,986,522,291 | 34,036,682,230 | 3.2% | 27.1% | 26.2% | -1.0% | |
The total number of flights is growing by just 3.5% this month, according to Innovata, suggesting airlines are flying longer sectors and/or with denser seating configurations or higher load factors. Anecdotal evidence suggests however that load factors are falling. See related report: Tough times ahead as air traffic weakens; declines in freight markets accelerate in Aug-2011: IATA
Worldwide seat numbers are rising 5.3%.
Worldwide capacity: Oct-2010 vs Oct-2011*
| Oct-2010 | Oct-2011 | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Total Flights per Week | 576,276 | 596,280 | 3.5% |
| Grand Total Seats per Week | 72,174,120 | 76,022,818 | 5.3% |
| Grand Total ASKs per Week | 121,544,884,585 | 130,153,596,318 | 7.1% |
Air Berlin dropping down the LCC rankings
Southwest remains the world's biggest LCC, followed by Ryanair and easyJet. Air Berlin has been overtaken by JetBlue and Brazil's Gol, as the German carrier slashes capacity by over 15%. See related report: Air Berlin to restructure after disappointing result; CEO resigns
The big upward movers in the LCC list air Indonesia's Lion Air, India's Indigo and Virgin America.
NB: CAPA displays LCC market share growth since 2001 by country or region on the LCC tabs of each country or region page. Type a country into the CAPA Profiles box near the top of this page and click the LCC tab. View the Australia example.
Top 25 LCCs worldwide by capacity (ASKs/week): Oct-2010 vs Oct-2011*
| Airline | Oct-10 | Oct-11 | %change | World Ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct-10 | Oct-11 | Variance | ||||
| Southwest Airlines | 3,076,964,912 | 3,226,618,793 | 4.9% | 1 | 1 | - |
| Ryanair | 2,190,326,856 | 2,486,590,031 | 13.5% | 2 | 2 | - |
| easyJet | 1,233,221,449 | 1,288,686,486 | 4.5% | 3 | 3 | - |
| JetBlue Airways | 1,030,828,767 | 1,092,818,203 | 6.0% | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| Gol | 826,442,380 | 989,742,347 | 19.8% | 6 | 5 | +1 |
| Air Berlin | 1,049,208,272 | 888,396,343 | -15.3% | 4 | 6 | -2 |
| AirTran Airways | 709,052,171 | 701,150,223 | -1.1% | 7 | 7 | - |
| Thomsonfly | 666,608,850 | 642,662,544 | -3.6% | 8 | 8 | - |
| Westjet | 579,651,016 | 617,442,845 | 6.5% | 9 | 9 | - |
| Jetstar Airways | 565,842,758 | 600,441,430 | 6.1% | 10 | 10 | - |
| Virgin Australia | 545,009,045 | 575,914,314 | 5.7% | 11 | 11 | - |
| Lion Airlines | 459,890,588 | 497,254,578 | 8.1% | 14 | 12 | +2 |
| Condor | 471,271,133 | 494,480,655 | 4.9% | 12 | 13 | -1 |
| AirAsia Berhad | 468,882,632 | 491,906,551 | 4.9% | 13 | 14 | -1 |
| Frontier Airlines | 447,914,367 | 433,516,113 | -3.2% | 15 | 15 | - |
| Norwegian | 362,227,246 | 431,226,416 | 19.0% | 16 | 16 | - |
| Indigo | 230,266,420 | 348,208,676 | 51.2% | 22 | 17 | +5 |
| Wizz Air | 265,562,424 | 326,959,348 | 23.1% | 19 | 18 | +1 |
| Virgin America | 248,612,784 | 318,307,264 | 28.0% | 21 | 19 | +2 |
| TUIfly | 277,086,724 | 295,559,030 | 6.7% | 17 | 20 | -3 |
| Vueling Airlines | 272,166,013 | 282,781,697 | 3.9% | 18 | 21 | -3 |
| Volaris | 197,459,460 | 277,235,978 | 40.4% | n/a | 22 | n/a |
| Monarch Airlines | 227,691,090 | 271,083,969 | 19.1% | 23 | 23 | - |
| Spirit Airlines | 260,330,282 | 262,516,065 | 0.8% | 20 | 24 | -4 |
| SpiceJet | 189,258,787 | 251,832,113 | 33.1% | n/a | 25 | n/a |
| GRAND TOTAL | 16,851,776,427 | 18,093,332,009 | 7.4% | |||
Top 25 movers
The global top 25 airlines list is largely unchanged from last October, with Delta heading the list from American Airlines and United Airlines. Fast-growing Emirates and Lufthansa may surpass United in coming months, though combined with Continental, the US carrier moves to the top of the list.
The fastest growing carrier in the top flight is Turkish Airlines with another 30%+ year-on-year expansion this month.
Global Top 25 Airlines by capacity per week (ASK) - Oct-2010 vs Oct-2011*
| Airline | Oct-10 | Oct-11 | % change | World Ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct-10 | Oct-11 | Variance | ||||
| Delta Air Lines | 7,263,802,076 | 7,074,091,226 | -2.6% | 1 | 1 | - |
| American Airlines | 5,112,798,367 | 5,167,551,309 | 1.1% | 2 | 2 | - |
| United Airlines | 4,448,035,225 | 4,246,109,374 | -4.5% | 3 | 3 | - |
| Emirates | 3,680,969,875 | 4,043,352,538 | 9.8% | 4 | 4 | - |
| Lufthansa | 3,437,336,550 | 3,817,354,135 | 11.1% | 5 | 5 | - |
| Continental Airlines | 3,335,309,554 | 3,270,161,139 | -2.0% | 6 | 6 | - |
| Air France | 3,095,458,098 | 3,229,233,754 | 4.3% | 7 | 7 | - |
| Southwest Airlines | 3,076,964,912 | 3,226,618,793 | 4.9% | 8 | 8 | - |
| British Airways | 2,941,171,938 | 3,075,241,966 | 4.6% | 9 | 9 | - |
| US Airways | 2,649,702,375 | 2,615,797,026 | -1.3% | 10 | 10 | - |
| Ryanair | 2,190,326,856 | 2,486,590,031 | 13.5% | 11 | 11 | - |
| Cathay Pacific | 2,138,627,284 | 2,426,611,349 | 13.5% | 13 | 12 | +1 |
| China Southern | 2,186,995,728 | 2,424,073,211 | 10.8% | 12 | 13 | -1 |
| Singapore Airlines | 2,039,882,722 | 2,194,358,678 | 7.6% | 14 | 14 | - |
| Air China | 1,898,880,270 | 2,091,421,175 | 10.1% | 16 | 15 | +1 |
| Qantas Airways | 1,940,331,948 | 2,013,373,300 | 3.8% | 15 | 16 | -1 |
| KLM | 1,837,475,461 | 1,944,362,195 | 5.8% | 18 | 17 | +1 |
| Air Canada | 1,868,050,828 | 1,942,572,731 | 4.0% | 17 | 18 | -1 |
| China Eastern | 1,767,937,171 | 1,910,842,802 | 8.1% | 19 | 19 | - |
| Korean Air | 1,657,885,533 | 1,873,356,838 | 13.0% | 20 | 20 | - |
| All Nippon Airways | 1,621,978,770 | 1,742,106,484 | 7.4% | 21 | 21 | - |
| Turkish Airlines | 1,250,364,386 | 1,642,939,111 | 31.4% | n/a | 22 | n/a |
| Qatar Airways | 1,369,810,998 | 1,607,617,980 | 17.4% | n/a | 23 | n/a |
| Thai Airways | 1,522,711,649 | 1,580,867,593 | 3.8% | 22 | 24 | -2 |
| Japan Airlines | 1,270,811,091 | 1,516,969,016 | 19.4% | n/a | 25 | n/a |
| GRAND TOTAL | 65,603,619,666 | 69,163,573,754 | 5.4% | |||