SWISS reports stable passenger volumes

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) carried 12,198,176 passengers in the first nine months of 2013, a 1.1% increase on the same period last year (2012: 12,060,365). The airline operated 2.9% fewer flights in the period: 110,831, compared to 114,103 a year ago. Of these, 97,645 flights were to points within Europe (down 3.6%) while 13,186 were to intercontinental destinations (up 2.6%). Systemwide seat load factor for the first nine months stood at 84.4%, a 0.9-percentage-point improvement on the 83.5% of the prior-year period.

SWISS offered 3.5% more capacity systemwide in the first nine months of the year in available seat-kilometre (ASK) terms. Total traffic volume, measured in revenue passenger-kilometres (RPKs), rose 4.7% over the same period. European services saw a 1.3% reduction in ASK capacity and a 1.2% increase in RPK volumes. Seat load factor improved accordingly, rising 1.9 percentage points to 77.3% (2012: 75.4%). On the intercontinental network ASK capacity was raised 6.0% for the period, while RPK volumes were increased by 6.3%. The intercontinental seat load factor amounted to 87.8% (up 0.2 percentage points).

The airfreight business of Swiss WorldCargo achieved a 2.9% increase in the first nine months of 2013 in cargo tonne-kilometre terms. Cargo load factor (by volume) slipped slightly, however, to 78.0%, a decline of 0.7 percentage points (2012: 78.7%).

SWISS’s passenger volumes for the month of September 2013 remained virtually at their prior-year levels. A total of 1,396,063 passengers travelled with the airline (2012: 1,396,923). Systemwide seat load factor for the month amounted to 85.7%, a 1.1-percentage-point decline (2012: 86.8%). Seat load factor on European services was improved 0.1 percentage points, while seat load factor for the intercontinental network suffered a 1.9-percentage-point decline. Swiss WorldCargo posted a cargo load factor (by volume) for September of 78.8%, a decline of 0.6 percentage points from the same month last year (2012: 79.4%).