An analysis of worldwide fleet data for September 2007 which reveals a significant variation in the types of aircraft operated by scheduled network carriers compared with those used by low cost and other sectors has been conducted by OAG BACK Aviation Solutions.

Network carriers operating scheduled services show a combined fleet comprising 47% narrow-body aircraft, 20% turboprop, 18% wide-body jets and a further 15% regional jets.

For low cost airlines, narrow-body aircraft dominates the combined fleet, accounting for 89% of the entire global low cost sector.

Among non scheduled airlines (charter carriers) turboprop aircraft account for 53% of the combined fleet with a further 34% being narrow-body.

The overnight package sector (integrators) shows a broadly equal split of operational models between narrow and wide-body jets, with 41% and 49% respectively.

Fleet Split between Operational Models

OAG BACK Aviation`s analysis also determined the average age of aircraft by sector.

The average age for the wide-body jets operated by scheduled airlines is 10.7 years, which is half the average age of those operated by non-scheduled airlines (20.9 years).

Overall, low cost carriers have the youngest in-service fleets, with an average age of 7.2 years for its dominant aircraft type, narrow-body jets. In comparison, the average age for narrow-body aircraft among scheduled network carriers is 13.5 years.

Interestingly, the average age of regional jets operated by both low cost and scheduled network carriers is just 6.4 years. This is significantly lower than the average age of the regional jet fleets operated by non
schedule airlines and integrators.

Average Age of In-Service Fleets