China’s Airline Capacity Soars Close to Pre-Pandemic Levels

The latest Aviation Industry Barometer from aviation consultancy IBA shows that passenger ASKs (Available Seat Kilometres) from Chinese operators were trending at 96% of 2019 levels in July 2023 – a strong increase from 89% in June 2023.

IBA’s analysis further shows that in July:
Monthly global passenger capacity edged closer to a full recovery, reaching 97% of pre-pandemic ASKs in July 2023 – a gain of +2% compared to June 2023.
In July, operators from Africa, North America, Latin America and the Middle East surpassed pre-pandemic capacity, while operators in APAC and Europe continued to lag slightly behind.
APAC operator capacity has now surpassed 90% of pre-pandemic levels, supported by a strong July within the Chinese market.
Assessing the current trend, IBA expects global passenger ASKs to surpass 2019 levels by October 2023.
In July 2023, there were approximately 3.04 million commercial passenger flights, compared to 2.82 million in June 2023, while 2.64 million flights were recorded in July 2022.
Chinese operators recorded 451,000 commercial passenger flights in July 2023, compared to 388,000 in June 2023 and 296,000 in June 2022.
There were 110 commercial aircraft deliveries in July 2023, representing a month-on-month and year-on-year variance of -24% and +34%, respectively.
So far during 2023, Airbus A320neo deliveries have averaged 45 per month, compared to Boeing’s 737 MAX at 35 per month.