“2015 is poised to be one of the best, if not the best, years for the U.S. airline business,” Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst with Atmosphere Research Group, said in a Times Record article.
Previously, there were two airline sector-related ETFs on the market. The Direxion Airline Shares ETF (NYSEArca: FLYX) closed in 2011 and Guggenheim shuttered the Guggenheim Arca Airline ETF (NYSEArca: FAA) in 2013. The underlying NYSE Arca Airline Index (^XAL) rose 50% over 2014. [Sector ETFs Capitalizing on Cheap Oil]
Nevertheless, investors filled the airline ETF void with the iShares Transportation Average ETF (NYSEArca: IYT) and the SPDR S&P Transportation ETF (NYSEArca: XTN) last year. According to ETF.com data, IYT attracted $1.2 billion in assets and XTN saw $426.1 million in inflows over 2014. Airlines make up 16.2% of IYT and 24.7% of XTN. [Dearth of Airline ETFs Sends Investors to Transport Funds]
For more information on the airliner industry, visit our airlines category.