Visualizing the ages of the world’s largest fleets
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Average age only shows part of the story
Which large airline maintains the world’s oldest fleet?
UPS Airlines.
No context required. Shortest newsletter ever.
Enterprising readers of this newsletter know we’re not exactly in the business of avoiding context nor keeping newsletters short (nor of keeping things succinct at all, really).
UPS may operate the oldest fleet among the largest airlines, but the details are what make it so interesting.
Both UPS and FedEx Express top the list of oldest average fleets of the largest 25 airlines in the world. But both airlines have recently taken new aircraft from Boeing recently. How do they top the list? Why do they top the list?
How airlines manage aging aircraft in the fleet can vary wildly. Of the top 25 airlines, the average fleet ages vary from four to over 21 years. Yet, within those averages is a diverse fleet of aircraft – often of multiple fleet types – that tells differing stories of fleet management.
UPS and FedEx tend to maintain older fleets. Even though older aircraft tend to be less efficient, they are also less expensive to acquire. For express cargo carriers like FedEx and UPS, the domestic fleet does not fly as often as passenger aircraft, resulting in older aircraft producing superior economics. As a side benefit, cargo doesn’t complain (as much) as passengers when the aircraft interior is showing its age.
But, the two cargo airlines also acquire new aircraft, typically those capable of longer ranges where the improved efficiency can overcome the higher purchase price of the aircraft.
The same holds true for passenger airlines where fleet age may be distributed evenly – reference: Air China – or with peaks and valleys – reference: United, American, and Delta. While Air China has maintained constant growth, the Big Three in the U.S. have fleets built through feast and famine (not to mention a few bankruptcies and mergers).
At some point, simply being an airline large enough to be in the top 25 fleets will drive an older fleet. Consider the math: With 967 aircraft in the mainline fleet, In order to maintain an average age of 10 years, the airline would need to take 97 aircraft per year – eight per month – just to replace their current fleet.
To match the youngest large fleet at four years, Delta would need to accept 20 aircraft every month. To put this into perspective, Boeing is currently limited to 38 737 deliveries per month for the entire globe, and Boeing is still well below 38.
Fleet ages grow – almost by necessity.
Why, then, do airlines have young fleets?
The oversimplified answer is growth. Large fleets consisting mainly of younger aircraft are very often in high-growth markets.
But what about the elephant on the chart? An average age of four years? How do you manage that and still be on the world’s top 25 largest fleet list?
Leasing.
More specifically, short-term leases.
Who controls the youngest fleet?
Just which airline stands out as having the world’s youngest fleet among the largest fleets?
Here is a hint: The airline loves to lease airplanes, just not for very long.
Some other trivia questions for you:
What aircraft type is the oldest in service among the top 25?
How old is it?
What type and age is the oldest passenger aircraft?
Who flies it?
The answer:
It’s IndiGo, of course.
The Indian ULCC loves to lease its Airbus narrowbodies and recycle them after six years. This keeps the fleet fresh (and lessors’ blood pressure high).
What aircraft type is the oldest in service among the top 25, and how old is it?
Originally built in 1983, a 41-year-old 757-200 is currently the oldest aircraft in service at the top 25 largest airlines. Also notably delivered in 1983: the movie Trading Places and the single “Billie Jean” from Michael Jackson’s Thriller album. So, yeah. Old.
What type and age is the oldest passenger aircraft, and who flies it?
A 35-year-old 767-300ER still graces the skies, sporting the Air Canada Rouge colors (part of the Air Canada certificate). Delivered in the spring of 1989, the aircraft arrived just as Mario Lemieux surpassed fellow Canadian Wayne Gretzky as NHL points leader for the year.
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