Domestic airline timekeeping statistics just out from the...

Domestic airline timekeeping statistics just out from the Federal Government's BITRE show that in June 2021, REX cancelled 603 flights (11.1 per cent of its timetable).

QAN had 3612 cancelled 'red tail' flights (20.7 per cent of all timetabled Australian domestic departures) while subsidiary Jetstar had an amazing 39.7 per cent of its flights cancelled (2574 cancellations).

In contrast, Virgin Australia cancelled 29.7 per cent (2617) of its scheduled flights.

From Melbourne north to SYD, Jetstar cancelled 239 flights, meaning only 20.3 per cent (61) of the scheduled 300 flights eventuated. QAN cancelled 494, or 72.9 per cent of its timetabled flights, so it only had 184 instead of the planned 678. VAH cancelled 379 flights, 68.3 per cent of the 555 it planned, operating only 176, while REX cancelled 94, or 63.5 per cent of the 148 wanted to operate, so only 54 ran.

Interestingly, of the flights that actually ran from Melbourne Airport to Sydney Airport northwards, the QAN group only had a 51.6 per cent market share, although its percentage of available seats would be higher as occasionally QAN operated larger aircraft than the stock standard Boeing 737-800s of all but Jetstar or the latter's Airbus A320s.

Note that with QAN only operating 184 flights north from Melbourne Airport to SYD in June 2021, in June 2019 pre-COVID_19 it planned 1020 flights of which 929 operated (91 cancellations) while Jetstar planned 358, of which 352 actually ran.

Cutting to the chase, the number of northbound QAN 'red tail' flights from Melbourne Airport to SYD in June 2021 was just 20 per cent of what it provided in June 2019. The Jetstar subsidiary was even worse, operating in June 2021 just 17.3 per cent of its flights when one makes a comparison with June 2019.

These latest statistics suggest QAN must be enormously suffering financially and the other two including REX badly as well.