According to a report by OAG, a company that analyses the aviation industry, there are 2.51 million flights programmed for the whole world this month which is 5% more than the same month last year and more than the historic maximum recorded in August 2006 which only reached 2.49 million.
This figure is 113,827 flights more than in May last year and 17.7 million more seats. Spain has experienced one if the largest increases in the number of flights with 100,000 more than in May 2006, a growth of 16%.
The low cost flight sector in Spain has registered a 22% increase over the last year with 70,000 more flights than in May 2006 a 26% increase in the number of seats which is approximately 12 million more seats available.
For example low cost flights in Barajas airport in Madrid have increased from 2% in 2003 to 10% of the total flights just four years later.
It is a similar story In Barcelona where the low cost flight sector has grown significantly and now accounts for more than 23% of total flights.
In 2003 this sector only made up 10% of total flights. In Malaga low cost flights have grown from 34% to 47%. However, Palma de Mallorca has the most low cost flights. This month they made up 52% of total flights.
Overall there has been a 68% increase in low cost flights for the whole of the country which works out at 2.5 million more seats available on such flights.
The route which has shown the highest increase is that between Western Europe and Africa, this month there are 2,200 more flights operating between the two continents than this time last year, a 13% increase. However, flights from or to Latin America have registered the smallest increase from 55,336 flights last year to 55,437 this May.
Nevertheless despite the good prospects for the aviation industry some ecological groups say that they are worried about possible repercussions on the climate.
Kevin Anderson, a climatological researcher from Manchester University, believes that expansion in the aviation sector contradicts efforts to combat climate change. He explained that although the growth in this sector was good news for share holders it was bad news for the climate and ‘for our children who will pay the price in the future’.
