Global air capacity this week is up slightly to 37.2 million seats, an increase of about 500,000 compared with last week, according to OAG.
Among global regions, Western Europe has the highest growth rate this week, up 19.4 percent. In North America, carriers have added 850,000 seats this week, about 500,000 of which were with Southwest Airlines.
"With more than 30,000 seats added back in Denver, Chicago Midway and Washington Baltimore, Southwest [is] clearly seeing sufficient signs of recovery to continue adding back capacity at their hubs," according to OAG analyst John Grant.
Grant also noted that booking searches are up this week, and U.S. Transportation Security Administration checkpoint traffic is up 10 percent week over week, though still only 13 percent of what it was this time last year. Overall global capacity, meanwhile, remains about 78 million seats below last year's levels.
"Climbing back is a lot harder for every airline than falling off a cliff," according to Grant. "Until demand recovers, traveler confidence is restored and, importantly, bookings are made not just for the next few weeks but further out into September and October, capacity growth is likely to remain patchy and spasmodic in nature."