European Regionals Experience Dramatic Growth

Airline members of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) have reported continued scheduled passenger growth of 7.5 percent and the highest load factor on record of 65 percent for the year 2007. This compares with smaller growth for U.S. regionals which have been experiencing load factors of nearly...

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Airline members of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) have reported continued scheduled passenger growth of 7.5 percent and the highest load factor on record of 65 percent for the year 2007. This compares with smaller growth for U.S. regionals which have been experiencing load factors of nearly 80 percent. The European figures were released as more than 150 delegates gathered in Malta for the annual spring ERA Regional Airline Conference.
Capacity levels also increased in 2007 but to a lesser degree, with seat numbers up 5.2 percent and available seat kilometers (ASKs) up 7.5 percent, compared to 2006.
Passenger load factor (PLF) has been rising consistently in this sector for several years. The annual average PLF of 65 percent for 2007 compares to 63 percent recorded in 2006, while the highest load factor for a particular month was recorded in September 2007 when PLF was 70.1 percent.
“ERA member airlines serve regional communities and especially business markets,” said ERA Director General Mike Ambrose. “It is the nature of these markets that such routes are generally thinner in terms of passenger demand with consequential lower passenger loads. It is therefore encouraging to note that the increased focus on yield control is now producing results in the form of higher passenger load factors.”
Departure punctuality for 2007 improved slightly by one percentage point when compared to 2006. On-time punctuality improved from 83 percent to 84 percent while departure within 60 minutes of scheduled departure time improved from 97 percent to 98 percent.
The percentage of flights operated in 2007 remained the same at 98.2 percent. On average, 15.7 percent of flights were delayed in 2007 but only 1.8 percent of flights were cancelled.