Glasgow airport down 28 percent on North American capacity

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Last year’s collapse of the Canadian airline Zoom has left a major gap in passenger numbers at Glasgow Airport, with North American flight seating capacity down by nearly 28 per cent this year, according to a report in The Herald that was based on booking forecasts.

Figures from the independent consultancy group, RDC Aviation, indicate that scheduled flight capacity from Glasgow will decline by approximately 10.6 per cent in the January to August period this year, as compared with the same eight months in 2008. Aberdeen airport will also see a drop in capacity, by 6.5 per cent, but Edinburgh will see a growth of five per cent.

The forecasts are based on capacity information provided by the airlines, and indicate how serious the problems are for Glasgow airport. Glasgow is experiencing a decline in passenger traffic that is both economy-driven and a result of the collapse of its charter market.

BAA, which owns Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, insists that Canadian routes have largely been replaced by other airlines adding new services. RDC says, however, that figures show fewer seats available on those routes.

The RDC figures show that Glasgow’s most significant decline in seat numbers is on US and Canada services, where there is a 28 per cent decrease in scheduled capacity for the January-August period this year.

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