Austrian Airlines Traffic Result for April 2011: 15.6 percent increase in passenger volume in April

• With 895,200 passengers in April, Austrian Airlines is up 15.6 percent on last year
• With three million passengers carried from January to April 2011, passenger volume rose by 3.3 percent
• Comparison with previous year’s figures distorted by volcanic eruption in April 2010, however

Austrian Airlines carried 895,200 passengers in April 2011. This was 15.6 percent more than in April 2010. Last year, however, flight traffic was significantly affected by the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland. As a result, the comparison with last year is only meaningful to a limited extent. The average passenger load factor, at 70.9 percent, was 1.7 percentage points below the figure for the same month last year.

In the period from January to April 2011, the number of passengers carried, at around 3 million, was 3.3 percent above the previous year’s figure. The load factor fell by 3.6 percentage points to 69.2 percent. The capacity measured in available seat kilometers (ASK) rose by 3.7 percent. The figure for revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) fell by 1.4 percent.

The Members of the Austrian Airlines Executive Board, Peter Malanik and Andreas Bierwirth, said the following: “The market environment remains difficult. The crises in the Middle East and Japan are slowing down our rate of growth. We are expecting to see a revival in the course of the summer, however.”

Europe
In April 2011, around 723,500 passengers flew with Austrian Airlines within Europe. This is 18.4 percent more passengers than last year. The load factor rose by 6.1 percentage points to 70.2 percent. Austrian Airlines increased the ASK by 11.8 percent, the RPK rose by 22.6 percent.

In the period from January to April 2011, more than 2.4 million passengers flew with Austrian Airlines in Europe. This is 5.5 percent more passengers than last year. The load factor rose by 2.1 percentage points to 65.6 percent. The figure for ASK rose by 2.9 percent, and that for RPK by 6.3 percent.

Intercontinental
In April 2011, the number of passengers carried on intercontinental flights rose by 3.5 percent to 134,800. The load factor, at 71.3 percent, was 8.8 percentage points below the figure for the previous year. The crises in Japan and Middle East are having an effect here. Austrian Airlines increased its ASK by 11.6 percent. The figure for RPK fell by 0.7 percent.

Austrian Airlines carried 491,400 passengers in the January to April 2011 period, or 0.2 percent more than last year. The load factor fell by 8.9 percentage points to 71.8 percent. Austrian Airlines increased its ASK by 10.3 percent. The figure for RPK fell by 1.9 percent.

Charter
As a result of the capacity restriction set by the EU, Austrian Airlines reduced its ASK in the charter business segment.

In April 2011, passenger volume stood at 36,900, 11.6 percent more than the previous year. The load factor rose by 0.4 percentage points to 74.1 percent. Austrian Airlines reduced its ASK by 14.9 percent. The figure for RPK fell by 14.5 percent.

In the period from January to April 2011, August Airlines carried 109,000 passengers in the Charter segment. This figure is 23.1 percent lower than last year. The load factor fell by 0.9 percentage points to 74.5 percent. The figure for ASK fell by 39.7 percent, while that for RPK fell by 40.5 percent.

Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines is Austria’s largest carrier and offers a global route network of round 130 destinations. In Central and Eastern Europe, the route network is particularly dense: With 46 destinations Austrian Airlines is the market leader throughout the region. Thanks to its favourable geographical location at the heart of Europe, the company’s hub at Vienna International Airport is the ideal gateway between East and West. Austrian Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group, Europe’s largest airline group, and a member of the Star Alliance, the first global alliance of international airlines.

Traffic statistics in detail
AUSTRIAN AIRLINES (Austrian + Austrian arrows + Lauda Air)