Skailark launches Airline Economics Q4’25
| We have just released our Q4’25 update. This quarter’s update focuses on deeper operational insights, airport and fuel costs, and expanded global coverage, further strengthening route-level, fleet-level, and airline-level analysis across the platform. Please find below a summary of the most important product enhancement A. Product & User Interface 1 New variables in Tableau 2 Enhanced network strategy dashboard 3 Adjusted cost modelling dashboard B. Model and data updates 1 New bottom-up Airport cost model 2 Major Fuel model upgrade 3 Substantially improved Crew cost model 4 A321XLR now available 5 A total of 8 new airlines added globally 6 Minor model improvements 7 Updated Q3’25 financials and added Q4’25 forecasts Please share your feedback on our product below. |
| All our subscribers have received complimentary access to the updated data as of today. We welcome any feedback, both on insights as well as usability. Note: To access data from any previous versions, please access our archive here. Your feedback makes a difference The survey takes less than 10 seconds, is fully anonymous, and really helps us focus on what matters most to you. A. Product & User Interface 1 New variables in Tableau 1.1 Airport cost line item All airport-related costs are now consolidated into a single “Airport” cost category. This replaces the previous split between Airport landing & gate and Airport PAX. This new line item includes the following charges (by airport): – Landing – Take-off – Noise – Emission (NOx) – Lighting charges Our approach to this model is explained in the Model and Data updates section below (and in our user manual inside the product). This change improves transparency and comparability of airport location costs across networks. Looking ahead: In the next release, we will introduce a dedicated Airport Cost Dashboard, providing a deep dive into location-specific cost drivers such as landing fees, emissions, noise, and more. 1.2 New operational variables added (all available in Operations dashboard) – Stage, flight GCD (km/mi) – Stage, flight FLOWN (km/mi) – Detour FLOWN vs. GCD (%) – Flights diverted (%) – These additions allow for a much clearer view of operations, route deviations, and real-world flight execution. 1.3 Download Extension enhanced Added new variables – Stage, flight GCD (km/mi) – Stage, flight FLOWN (km/mi) – Flights diverted (%) Renamed existing variables – Stage-seat -> Stage, seat GCD (km/mi) – Airport landing & gate -> Airport Removed existing variable – Airport PAX  2 Enhanced network strategy dashboard The Network Strategy dashboard has been upgraded to support faster and clearer competitive assessments: – Improved visibility into airlines’ profit margins with newly added filters – Clearer representation of cost leadership vs. market leadership – Expanded insights into monopoly routes 3 Adjusted cost modelling dashboard The Cost Modelling dashboard has been updated to reflect the latest methodological changes: – Fully aligned with the new Airport cost variable – Added ability to model HOTAC – Enhanced “what-if” scenario modelling You can now: – Quantify CASK impacts under different assumptions – Model alternative aircraft deployment scenarios by adjusting aircraft-specific costs (ownership, fuel, airport, etc.) … and much more. B. Model and Data Updates 1 New bottom-up Airport cost model We are introducing a new, bottom-up “Airport” cost variable: – Airport-level charges collected manually, airport by airport, globally by the Skailark team – Includes landing, take-off, noise, emissions (NOx), and lighting charges – Excludes charges passed directly to passengers and passenger charges requested by airports that are paid by airlines (counter, baggage, check-in, etc.). Methodology: – Airport-level charges combined with tail- and flight-level operations – Applicable charging rules determined per tail and per flight This enables location cost analysis at an unprecedented level of granularity, highlighting meaningful cost differences between airports. 2 Major Fuel model upgrade The “Fuel” model has undergone a fundamental upgrade: – Actual flown distance from ADS-B data incorporated into our fuel model – Taxi fuel consumption added – Refined reserve fuel logic, including distance to alternate airports Further refinements include: – Fuel burn adjusted for actual payload – Refined dry operating empty weight calculations We expect fuel cost accuracy to have improved materially at the flight-level and welcome any feedback from our customers. 3 Substantially improved Crew cost model Our “Crew” cost model has been updated: – Building on research and industry data, we were able to further enhance FTE and salary expenses. – In addition, crew rest periods and staffing ratios have been refined. As a result, the Crew cost model has taken a big step forward in accuracy and consistency across carriers and regions. We expect these updates to lead to a meaningful improvement in crew cost and welcome feedback from our customers. 4 A321XLR now available The long-awaited A321XLR is now available in Airline Economics 360°. While it was already included in previous versions (IATA code 32Q), it can now be filtered directly by aircraft name. The A321XLR will be added for both historical data and for all data going forward. This allows full retrospective analysis of XLR economics.  5 A total of 8 new airlines added globally We are pleased to announce the addition of 8 more carriers across the world. – Air Premia – Air Tanzania – ASKY – Israir – Jetstar Japan – Royal Brunei Airlines – RwandAir – Salam Air A full overview of all airlines in Airline Economics 360° can be found here.  6 Minor model improvements As always, throughout the quarter we have continued to review and refine all of our models to ensure they remain up to date and accurately reflect current industry developments. A few selected examples include the following: – MRO model has been updated to reflect new engine technologies based on the latest operational observations. – Ownership model has been refined with newly incorporated global data. 7 Updated Q3’25 financials and added Q4’25 forecasts As you are already familiar with by now, we have validated our Q3’25 forecasts with reported actual financials (where available). Furthermore, we have added Q4’25 supply data including our latest outside-in forecasts. Skailark support form & email contact We’d like to remind you of the dedicated channels available for support-related queries. For all support inquiries, please visit our support format skailark.com/support (under Client Access). This ensures your requests are streamlined and addressed efficiently. Alternatively, you can also reach us via email at support@skailark.com If you have questions about the update or need further support, feel free to get in touch using these channels. |