Finnair reports brisk growth

In February 2004 Finnair's total scheduled traffic RPK's increased by 29.0%. Strong growth took place in every traffic category. Number of passengers carried was 543,800 (+22.7%). Passenger load factor was 62.7%, 2.8 percentage points higher than in February 2003.

The total traffic (RPK's), summing up both scheduled and leisure traffic, increased by 18.3%, while the capacity (ASK) was up by 16.9%, resulting in a passenger load factor of 72.4%, 0.8 points higher than last year. In February 2004 Finnair carried a total of 647,100 passengers, which is 19.4% more than the year before. Year 2004 is a leap year, and this has also a positive effect on the Feb 04 figures.

Departure punctuality of scheduled flights was 84.5% (based on a fifteen minute standard), 5.5 %-points lower than in February 2003. Including leisure flights departure punctuality was 83.2% (-5.9 p.p). Figures were affected by one Sunday, when Helsinki Airport was closed due to heavy snowstorms.

Finnair's associated company Aero Airlines AS, operating Tallinn-Helsinki route, carried 11,600 passengers (+17.0%). During February, Nordic Airlink carried 47,700 passengers on its Stockholm-based routes to Oslo, Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Lulea. As of the beginning of 2004, the number of Nordic Airlink traffic performance will be included in the figures for Europe scheduled passenger traffic and in the grand total passenger figures of Finnair Group.

Scheduled traffic

Scheduled traffic (international + domestic) revenue passenger kilometers increased by 29.0%. The change in capacity was +23.2%. Passenger load factor was 62.7%, 2.8 percentage points higher than last year. 

Scheduled international traffic, total number of passengers was up by 31.5%. Capacity in ASKs was +26.9%, while RPKs increased by 31.4%.

European scheduled traffic, ASKs increased by 17.0%, and as RPKs increased by 19.1%, the passenger load factor was 53.6%, up 1.0 points from the previous year.

North Atlantic scheduled traffic, capacity increased by 39.1%, partly due to introduction of Miami flights on 23rd of October 2003. Change in RPKs was +55.0%, and passenger load factor for February was 74.8%, 7.7 points higher than 2003.

Asian scheduled traffic capacity increase was 42.0% due to addition of Shanghai flights in 02 September, and Osaka flights since June 2003. The passenger traffic was up by 40.5%. Passenger load factor was 76.7%, 0.8 percentage points down.

Domestic scheduled traffic increased by 16.9% on a capacity increase of 7.4%. Passenger load factor increased by 4.6 percentage points to 56.3%.

Leisure traffic

ASKs for leisure traffic increased in February by 4.2%, and RPKs increased by 4.6%, resulting in a passenger load factor of 95.4%, 0.4 points higher than last year.

Cargo

Cargo traffic increased by 16.2% in terms of cargo tonnes carried. Growth in scheduled traffic was +23.9%. Increase in Asian traffic was 58.5%. Volume in European traffic increased by 4.3%. In North-Atlantic traffic cargo volume increased by 9.5%. Cargo traffic carried on chartered cargo flights decreased 15.5% due to capacity cuts. The new key ratio cargo load factor including all traffic categories was 58.7%. The cargo load factor in the Far Eastern traffic was 89.3% and in the North Atlantic traffic 64.7%.