Case Study: Madrid to Beijing Flight 

In order to apply the air transport traffic and capacity metrics, the route between Madrid Barajas International Airport in Spain (MAD)  and Beijing Capital International Airport in China (PEK) is taken as an example. The 9.229 Km (5.335 NM) route is flown by the Chinese airline Air China with one Airbus A-350-900.

World Map with the Route between Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK)

The seat configuration of Air China on its A350-900 includes a total of 312 Available Seats (AS), in three service classes (Business, Premium Economy and Economy). On the flight used in this example, 234 passengers were flying between the two destinations. All of whom had paid for their tickets.

The calculation of RP, RPK, AS and ASK is as follows:

  • Passengers = 234 RP 
  • Passengers = 234 RP 
  • Revenue Passenger Kilometer : RP x Distance = 234 x 9229 =  2.159.586 RPK
  • Available Seats : 312 AS
  • Available Seats Kilometer : AS x Distance = 312  x 9229 ASK =  2.879.448 ASK
  • Load Factor (%) = (RPK / ASK) x 100 = (2.159.586 RPK
  • / 2.879.448 ASK) x 100 = 75%

Related Content:

References: