Up-gauging needs the airports onboard too

An airline can only up-gauge and acquire large aircraft if it has the assurance of the airport that it will be able to use gates big enough to handle the jumbos. Additionally, some runways simply aren’t reinforced or wide enough to accommodate the extra girth and weight of aircraft like the A380 – and likewise the aprons and taxiways.

Often extensive work is needed to adjust an airport’s infrastructure – both landside and airside facilities – to enable them to handle large aircraft or, as is often the case, increase the capacity to handle large aircraft.

Large aircraft will also impact peak passenger volumes, putting the entire configuration of the airport under pressure as well as the land transport access. And large aircraft increase the noise, which invariably means the airport needs to enter a consultation process with local stakeholders: most notably residents.

Reduces fuel costs and carbon footprint

Another factor often cited by airlines for the drive to up-gauge was the rise in fuel prices around the turn of the century. Bigger aircraft, when full, are considerably cheaper to fly than smaller ones, and US carrier Delta cited the lower cost per seat as the main reason for its 2012 decision to pursue a major up-gauging initiative. Not only did Delta replace a large proportion of its fleet serving domestic routes, but this meant its commuter partners had to follow suit. This saw hundreds of aircraft with seat capacities of 50 make way for bigger aircraft with 40 to 50 percent more seats.

The modern replacements have better fuel efficiency, which has been another reason why airlines have been overhauling their fleets over the last decade. The up-gauging has ultimately left Delta and its commuter partners with fewer aircraft but more seats – plus the added bonus of them being modern and more fuel-efficient. But this is just a temporary blip, claimed a forecast, which predicted the US commercial fleet would increase from 7,039 aircraft in 2016 to 8,270 in 2037.

A study of US non-hub airports in 2017 noted that between 2006 and 2015 they lost 37.3 percent of their network legacy carrier flights, but only 22.6 percent of their seat capacity.

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Now the passenger number gauge is level again, airlines can resume ‘up-gauging’