Passenger count up by about six per cent – Capacity utilisation still at high level

Lufthansa carried more passengers in the first three months of 2001 compared with the first quarter last time round and again lifted capacity utilisation. All in all, about eleven million passengers flew with the airlines in the Group, an increase of 5.8 per cent on the year-earlier level. Lufthansa German Airlines carried 9.5 million (plus 4.4 per cent) of the passenger total and its Lufthansa CityLine regional carrier subsidiary 1.4 million (plus 16.7 per cent). Aircraft capacities were better utilised: The seat load factor rose by 0.9 percentage points to 70.3 per cent.

Traffic performance at Lufthansa Cargo in the first quarter 2001 was influenced by the downturn in the world economy. Freight tonnage transported fell by 2.2 per cent on the high level in the prior year to 424,162 tonnes. Sales were up by 2.5 per cent but not all the capacity increase of 6.4 per cent was sold in the marketplace. Capacity utilisation fell accordingly by 2.5 percentage points to 65.8 per cent.

Overall utilisation at the Lufthansa Group (passenger and freight business) in the first quarter was 68.4 per cent.
 

Lufthansa Group first-quarter results in 2001 will be published on May 17 2001.