The devil really is in the data this week, or to be more precise it is behind the data, but let’s start by looking at how 2021 finished. Global airline capacity ended at 5.7 billion seats compared to the 8.7 billion reported in 2019, so 35% below pre-Covid levels, and of course, demand is much lower for those 5.7 billion seats.
Positively, the second half of 2021 saw a stronger recovery than the first half, and global domestic capacity was at 80% of 2019 levels thanks to markets such as China, the United States and Russia. So, things were slowly improving although there was a long road ahead and then Omicron arrived, and you would expect global capacity to be badly damaged, wouldn’t you? But the data suggest otherwise so far, although we expect that to change this week.
Global Airline Capacity Holds Strong This Week but January Is Looking Soft
With seasonal holidays out of the way airlines are now once again removing planned airline capacity for the first quarter of the…