UBS has taken a fresh look at global airline trends and there are some interesting takeaways for anyone keeping an eye on the travel sector.
Using Google search data, UBS tracks which airlines are attracting the most attention online, a handy early indicator of travel demand.
Its latest findings show that in the UK and France, search interest in airlines has nudged up compared to last year, while Germany and Italy remain sluggish and Spain is a bit of a mixed bag.
France is the standout with a noticeable jump in international flights.
When it comes to actual flights, China is leading the pack by some distance.
Airline capacity for July is now at 135% of pre-pandemic 2019 levels, thanks mainly to a big surge in domestic travel, now running at 167% of 2019’s numbers.
The US has seen little change, holding steady at just above pre-pandemic levels, while in Europe,
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (LSE:IAG) were flat at 380.04p.