Austrian Airlines’ short and medium-haul routes drive passenger traffic in First Quarter 2008

On long-haul routes, flight capacity is lower this year due to the reduction in long-haul implemented according to plan from the second quarter of 2007 onwards. We shall continue to gain momentum in the Summer schedule with our new routes in the Central and East European region and Saudi Arabia, and through frequency increases in our core markets.”

Short- and medium-haul segment as driver of growth

With an increase in passenger volume of 7%, the trend in the short- and medium-haul segment in the first quarter of 2008 was good compared to the previous year. Revenue passenger kilometres on scheduled services (RPK) rose by 10.4%, while scheduled capacity increased by 7.1%. The resultant improved passenger load factor, at 64.6%, was 1.9ppts above the figure for last year.

The Austrian Airlines Group carried 677,000 passengers in the short- and medium-haul segment in March, an increase of 2.1% year-on-year. The expansion in capacity on scheduled services of 4.2% was balanced by a strong increase in RPK of 6.1%. The passenger load factor stood at 67.8%, an increase of 1.2 ppts year-on-year.

Long-haul segment sees higher load factor in March

Cumulatively, around 272,000 scheduled passengers were carried in the long-haul segment from January to March, 24.1% fewer than in the same period in 2007. While the Group made a structural reduction in capacity on scheduled services of 31.6%, revenue passenger kilometers on these scheduled services (RPK) fell by 33.3%. The passenger load factor in the long-haul segment was 79.8%, or 2.1 ppts below last year.

In March 2008, by contrast, the Group was able to increase the load factor, which, at 82.9%, was 2.8 ppts above the previous year’s figure. Long-haul scheduled capacity stood at 30.4% in March, in line with the company’s plans, while RPKs in the long-haul segment fell by 28.0% year-on-year.

© Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 17-Apr-08

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