Traffic Results of Austrian Airlines for November 2013: Upward Trend in Capacity Utilization Continues

Published on : Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Austrian Airlines Group carried about 10.5 million passengers in the period January to November 2013, a decline of 1.6 percent from the prior-year level. The reason for this development is a targeted 3.2 percent reduction of capacity during this period. Within the context of a fleet harmonization program, the home carrier streamlined its fleet by up to five medium-haul aircraft. In addition, up to two long-haul aircraft were taken out of service in the period January to November 2013 to equip them with the new cabins. Revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) were down by 1.8 percent. Capacity utilization (passenger load factor) improved overall by 1.1 percentage points from the previous year to 78.7 percent.
In the month of November, the Austrian Airlines Group carried approximately 838,000 passengers, corresponding to a decrease of 2.9 percent. This is related to the reduction in the medium-haul fleet. The offering measured in available seat kilometers (ASK) was 2.9 percent higher than in the previous year, due to the fact that Austrian Airlines once again had all its long-haul aircraft in operation. Revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) were up by 4.4 percent. Capacity utilization (passenger load factor) of the flights in November thus improved overall by 1.1 percentage points from the previous year, rising to 76.4 percent.
“We carry fewer passengers in November due to seasonality, but once again succeeded in increasing capacity utilization”, says Karsten Benz, Chief Commercial Officer of Austrian Airlines. “This shows that we have become more productive. This is precisely what Austrian Airlines needs to operate soundly again.”
Europe
In November 2013, a total of 708,300 passengers flew with Austrian Airlines in Europe. This comprises a drop of 3.8 percent compared to the previous year. The passenger load factor fell by 0.7 percentage points to 73.5 percent.
In the period January to November 2013, Austrian Airlines carried about nine million passengers in Europe, corresponding to a decline of 1.0 percent. In contrast, the passenger load factor during this period rose by 1.5 percentage points to 77.1 percent.
Intercontinental
In November 2013, the number of passengers carried on intercontinental flights operated by Austrian Airlines increased by 2.3 percent year-on-year. On balance, a total of 129,700 passengers were carried by Austrian Airlines on its intercontinental flights in the month of November 2013. The passenger load factor was up by 2.5 percentage points to 78.9 percent.
In the period January to November 2013, Austrian Airlines carried a total of about 1.5 million passengers on its intercontinental flights, a drop of 5.2 percent from the prior-year level. The passenger load factor climbed 0.8 percentage points to 80.3 percent.