Airline Code [AUA]
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Tags :Continental Europe, Austrian Airlines
Chief Executive Officer Alfred Ãtsch said the following about the current traffic result: “We achieved a passenger record of more than 5.2 million passengers carried in the first half-year, and also held the passenger load factor overall stable at 74.0% despite the challenging surrounding conditions.
The current crisis in the aviation industry, high kerosene prices and slower demand are having their effect on us too and selective capacity adjustments and seasonal reductions will be implemented in the coming months. Against the background of these developments, however, it is to our benefit that markets in Central and Eastern Europe and the Levant and Middle East are more robust and less harshly affected by the slower economic cycle. Should the aviation crisis worsen, however, we shall be forced to take further measures.”
The first half-year overall was influenced by various special effects. The first quarter was burdened by the early Easter holidays in March. While it proved possible to make this up in April, May was marked by a large number of holidays, the effect of which is normally then made up in June. This year, however, normally strong business traffic and conference tourism was hindered by the European Football Championship in this month. In addition to this, demand in the tourist sector was weaker than usual. The long-haul segment was also influenced negatively by the sub-prime crisis in the USA and the current tighter visa requirements for Chinese travellers in the run-up to the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Robust growth in short- and medium-haul route segment
The Austrian Airlines Group carried approximately 4.1 million scheduled passengers in the short- and medium-haul segment in the first half-year, 6.1% more than in the comparison period in 2007. Revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) on these scheduled services rose at the above-average rate of 8.0%, while scheduled capacity (measured in available seat kilometers or ASK) increased by 5.7%. The passenger load factor in this segment reached 67.0%, rising by 1.4 percentage points compared to the figure for 2007.
The second quarter went very positively in this segment. Passenger growth was 4.9%, and the passenger load factor increased by 1.0 percentage points to a satisfactory 69.2%.
Taken individually, the month of June was also marked by the effect of the European Football Championship. Although numerous special flights were operated, most of these were only fully booked in one direction. This measure, while useful from a results perspective, led to a reduction in the passenger load factor of 1.2 percentage points compared to the previous year, to 68.4%. Capacity (ASK) in this segment increased by 5.6% in June, while revenue passenger kilometres on these scheduled services (RPK) only rose by 3.8%. The company was able to achieve an increase of 1.7% in passenger growth compared to the previous year.
Long-haul weaker overall in June
In cumulative terms, around 574,000 scheduled passengers were carried in the first half-year of 2008 in the long-haul segment, a 13.7% reduction on the comparable period in 2007, in line with the company’s restructuring plans. While there was a structural reduction in capacity on scheduled services of 18.9% (ASK), revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) on these same scheduled services fell by 19.5%. The passenger load factor in the long-haul segment was 80.8%, marginally down on last year, by 0.7 percentage points.
With a load factor of 81.8% in the second quarter, the company was able to achieve an increase of 0.8 percentage points. Passenger volume stood at 302,100 in this period, a 1.6% fall compared to the previous year.
Scheduled capacity (ASK) on long-haul routes in June stood at 2.8%, while revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) were 5.6% down on the respective comparable figures for the previous year. The passenger volume fell by 5.8% compared to the previous year, and the passenger load factor fell by 2.5 percentage points to 80.8%.
Charter segment
Charter traffic reported a rise in load factor both in June and the first half-year as a whole. Around 526,000 passengers were carried from January to June on the basis of planned adjustments in capacity. The passenger load factor rose significantly in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2007, jumping by 2.5 percentage points.
(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 16-Jul-08
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Austrian Airlines Group reports traffic for the first half-year 2008 
