European aviation is expected to get better in 2022

Annual seat capacity in Europe increased by 18.0 percent from 2020 to 2021, but decreased by 49.6 percent from 2019 levels. This was the largest percentage

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Aerospace and Defense Review | Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Annual seat capacity in Europe increased by 18.0 percent from 2020 to 2021, but decreased by 49.6 percent from 2019 levels

FREMONT, CA: Annual seat capacity in Europe increased by 18.0 percent from 2020 to 2021, but decreased by 49.6 percent from 2019 levels. This was the largest percentage drop across globe areas compared to pre-COVID capacity. Since the spread of the Omicron version in the second half of 2021, weekly capacity levels have been more volatile. In the last week of December 2021, Europe hit a pandemic era top, with capacity only 18.7 percent lower than the same week in 2019.

However, Europe's seat numbers fell 38.0 percent below 2019 seat numbers in the week of 10-Jan-2022, compared to 21.4 percent the week before. For the first time since late June-2021, it has dropped to the bottom of the regional rankings on this metric. Africa's seat capacity is down 33.2 percent, Asia Pacific's is down 29.5 percent, the Middle East's is down 29.2 percent, North America's is down 14.2 percent, and Latin America's is down 11.9 percent.

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Nonetheless, there are reasons to believe that, like 2021, 2022 will end better than it began. In 2022, the globe will have to adjust to life with COVID-19.

According to OAG schedules combined with CAPA Fleet Database seat configurations, annual seat capacity in Europe in 2021 will be down 49.6 percent from 2019 levels. This was a significant increase over 2020, when capacity was 57.7 percent lower than in 2019. However, Europe's 2021 percentage drop from 2019 levels was the largest of all world regions, as it was in 2020. Annual seat counts in 2021 were 46.0 percent lower in the Middle East, 40.7 percent lower in Africa, 38.2 percent lower in Asia Pacific, 32.3 percent lower in Latin America, and 28.1 percent lower in North America than in 2019. With the exception of Asia Pacific, all areas' declines in 2021 compared to 2020 narrowed. From 2020 to 2021, Asia Pacific's yearly capacity stayed almost unchanged.

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