Finnair's growth in Asia continues

Finnair scheduled traffic, measured in passenger kilometers, increased by 6.0% in February 2005 compared to February last year. Passenger load factor was 64.8%, up 1.9 percentage points. The number of passengers carried was 553,900, up to 0.7%.

Double-digit growth in Asian traffic continues. In February, demand for Asian flights grew by 18.2%. European traffic grew by 4.3% and passenger numbers by 11.1%. European passenger load factors increased 3.9 percentage points. In domestic service capacity was cut because the New Year's lightened schedule was applied longer than normally, and capacity increases were applied to winter holiday weeks. 50% of Finnair scheduled traffic revenues are generated in European traffic, 25% come from Asian flights and 20% from domestic services.

Finnair traffic increased by 2.9% in February, while the capacity was up by 2.4%, resulting in a passenger load factor of 72.8%, 0.3 points higher than last year. All Finnair Group airlines together transported 655,200 passengers, which is 0.3% more than a year ago. Comparisons versus last year are impacted by some 3.5 percentage points, because 2004 was a leap year.

Departure punctuality of scheduled flights was 85.3% (based on a fifteen minute standard), 0.8 points higher than in February 2004. Including leisure flights departure punctuality was 83.9% (+0.7 p.p). Arrival punctuality of scheduled flights was 84.9% and that of all operations was 83.0%.

Finnair's Tallinn-based subsidiary Aero AS, carried 61,500 passengers (+429.1%) on routes between Helsinki and the Baltic capitals and within Southern Finland. During February, Stockholm-based flynordic continued to gain market share and carried 86,100 passengers (+60.2%) on its Scandinavian routes. Aero and flynordic figures are respectively included in Finnair Group total figures.

Scheduled traffic

Scheduled traffic (international + domestic) revenue passenger kilometres increased by 6.0%. The change in capacity was +2.9%. Passenger load factor was 64.8%, 1.9 percentage points higher than last year.

Scheduled international traffic, the total number of passengers was up by 11.2%. Capacity in ASKs was +6.2%, while RPKs increased by 9.5%.

European scheduled traffic, ASKs decreased by 2.7%, and as RPKs increased by 4.3%, the passenger load factor was 58.1%, up 3.9 points from previous year.

North Atlantic scheduled traffic, capacity increased by 6.5%. Change in RPKs was +0.9%, and passenger load factor for February was 70.9%, 3.9 points lower than previous year.

In Asian scheduled traffic, the capacity increase was 20.4% mainly due to the airline adding frequencies to Shanghai and Osaka since the beginning of June. Passenger traffic was up by 18.2%. Passenger load factor was 75.3%, 1.4 percentage points down.

Domestic scheduled traffic decreased by 14.3% on a capacity decrease of 13.9%. Passenger load factor decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 56.1%.

Leisure traffic

ASKs for leisure traffic increased in February by 1.1%, and RPKs decreased by 2.1%, resulting in a passenger load factor of 92.4%, 3.1 points lower than last year.

Cargo

Cargo traffic decreased by 0.7% in terms of cargo tonnes carried. Growth in scheduled traffic was -4.9%. Decrease in Asian traffic was -3.6%. Volume in European traffic decreased by 11.5%. In North-Atlantic traffic cargo volume increased by 12.9%. Cargo traffic carried on chartered cargo flights increased by 32.0%. The cargo load factor was 53.8%. The cargo load factor in the Far Eastern traffic was 71.4% and in the North Atlantic traffic 71.3%.

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