Every year, the end of July marks the peak of aviation activity around the world. It's a time when Europe enjoys its holidays, as does part of the United States. In 2019, however, the week of 19 July resulted in a total number of 119 million seats according to OAG.
This week of 19 July is still a very busy week for the down 30.5% compared with the same week in 2019. But for the first time since the start of the pandemic, it has exceeded the symbolic 80 million seats mark. With 82.7 million seats available worldwide, this represents an increase in capacity of 3.6%...
Every year, the end of July marks the peak of aviation activity around the world. It's a time when Europe enjoys its holidays, as does part of the United States. In 2019, however, the week of 19 July resulted in a total number of 119 million seats according to OAG.
This week of 19 July is still a very busy week for the down 30.5% compared with the same week in 2019. But for the first time since the start of the pandemic, it has exceeded the symbolic 80 million seats mark. With 82.7 million seats available worldwide, this represents an increase in capacity of 3.6% compared with the previous week.
The Mediterranean is driving traffic in Europe
This relatively good result is due to increased traffic in Europe to holiday destinations. Particularly around the Mediterranean. The lifting of restrictions in the UK has also boosted traffic. From one week to the next, OAG notes that supply in Western Europe rose by 8%. And that this increase in the number of seats has even reached 33% in the United Kingdom, 9.2% in Greece and 8.4% in Spain.
The recovery is widespread across Europe. Week-on-week increase in capacity in France reaches 5% and is now chasing Italy (+5.1%). It is ahead of Germany, which posted a more moderate rise of 3.7%
OAG reports that global airline capacity is still 22 % below January 2020 levels.. And that fill factors are still between 15 and 20 % lower. to normal levels of demand.
Slight growth in Asia
The development of supply continues to differ from one region to another. The reopening of Phuket to foreign visitors and the increase in the number of flights to Singapore explain why the number of flights to the region has increased.South-East Asia saw a very sharp rise in supply to +21.6% compared with last week. However, the this part of the continent remains at historically low levels. The offer represents just 28% of what it was on 22 July 2019.
The Indian sub-continent is also regaining some of its lustre with the reopening of flights to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India. The increase in supply was 7.9% from one week to the next. Always in Asia, seat capacity in the north-east of the continent on the rise due to a series of flights to Japan for the Olympic Games. This increase in capacity reaches 3,8% from one week to the next, and even 18.7% for the Japanese archipelago.
Elsewhere in the world, capacity is stable Middle East (-0.2%) or North America (+0.4%).
Reconfinement in Australia depresses air traffic
On the other hand, supply in Oceania remains at alarming levels. The number of seats is again down by more than 8% week-on-week. In other words, the offer is less than half of what it was in July 2019. This situation is due to Australia's continuing hysterical reaction which has confined half its population for several days.
Admittedly, the number of Covid-positive cases has risen by 1,622 since 1 July, while there have been five more deaths over the same period. But the authorities have adopted extremely radical measures. They are imposing confinement in the state of South Australia - after Victoria and part of New South Wales. That's 13 million Australians having to stay at home.
The strict confinement is explained by an extremely low vaccination rate. At 14%, it is in fact the lowest in the entire OECD. An anomaly that the Australian government seems to be dismissing out of hand. The containment decision is also having an impact on air traffic. From one week to the next, seat capacity fell by 13%.
