Global airline capacity this week grew for the second week
in a row, with scheduled weekly seats back above the 30 million mark, up 6 per cent
week over week, according to analysis by OAG.
The largest growth this week was in South Asia, where
capacity is up more than 120 per cent week over week with 1.7 million seats
added. That increase largely comes from India's domestic market, though there
was also some recovery in Pakistan and Bangladesh, OAG reported. Chinese
capacity, meanwhile, was down slightly week over week, but the decline was
"certainly nothing significant" as it compares with a public holiday
last week, according to OAG analyst John Grant.
Global capacity remains 73 per cent lower than the same time
last year, a deficit of about 83 million seats. Grant noted that week-over-week
growth next week will likely be slower but that carriers are planning
"significant capacity increases" in June, particularly as lockdowns
and quarantine requirements in Europe ease.
"With 213 airlines currently not filing schedules this
week compared to [the period prior to the Covid-19 crisis] and some 10,000
airport pairs still not being operated, there is obviously a very long journey
ahead of the industry," according to Grant. "But at least it looks
like the tide has turned."