The Airbus A380 is getting ready to launch once more, and capacity is approaching 100 million.

With the forthcoming Fourth of July vacations, will we pass the 100 million seat threshold next week when airline capacity has settled at 99.9 million seats? Possibly or not!
Last week, the IATA AGM came to a successful conclusion. Delegates were entertained by a local folk ensemble and performances by Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez, who both travelled long distances to attend the event.

When the Dutch Government announced a 20 percent cut in movements at Amsterdam Schiphol, the staff members at the IATA Slot Conference in Seattle were busy. How on earth airports and airlines can create long-term plans with such impulsive decisions is beyond me.

Will Lufthansa and Etihad add the Airbus A380 to their fleets again?

According to reports, two airlines—Lufthansa and Etihad—are thinking of reintroducing the Airbus A380 to their fleets to get around upcoming supply issues. How rapidly things improve, and let’s hope that continues to be the case. Nine carriers will run just under 1,000 A380 flights this week, with Emirates accounting for 70% of those, British Airways for 9%, and Qatar Airways for a very hesitant 7%. In 2019, fourteen airlines operated more than 2,300 A380 services.

The recovery is still going strong, according to forward-looking airline capacity through the end of September. Despite a lower starting point, capacity declined by 7% in September 2019 compared to August, and this September is presently 4% below August. This shows ongoing optimism in the recovery. With almost 30% greater capacity and most likely above 85% of the 2019 level, September will be substantially stronger than last year, even after accounting for the probable drift of some capacity in the upcoming months.

Western Europe is once again at the top of the lists this week thanks to a shift of less than 1% in the two biggest markets in the world, at least until easyJet makes their announced capacity adjustments and other airlines modify their schedules. Given that public holidays typically have a minor negative influence on capacity and that the United States will be “celebrating” Independence Day next week, it is likely that the positions will not alter.

The Regional Markets in North Africa and the Middle East are Growing the Fastest
The fastest rising regional markets this week were in North Africa (+7%) and the Middle East (+5%), both of which reported gains of more than 75% over the same week last year. With the exception of North East Asia, every region in the world now has significantly more capacity operating than it did a year ago, and half of those regions report more than 50% growth. This is quite remarkable and explains why airlines are simultaneously running out of resources and frantically seeking out new aircraft.

Read more OAG report.