Finnair scheduled traffic up 7.6% in October 2006

Finnair scheduled traffic increased by 7.6% in October 2006 compared to the same month last year. Passenger load factor was 69.4%, up 1.4 percentage points. Asian traffic was up 20%. The total number of passengers carried in scheduled traffic was 595,500, down 2.7%. The two day strike in October by the cabin crew union affected the traffic figures negatively.

Finnair's Tallinn-based subsidiary Aero AS, carried 51,800 passengers (-26.6%) on routes between Helsinki and the Baltic capitals and within Southern Finland. During October, Stockholm-based FlyNordic carried 95,200 passengers (-14.6%). Aero and FlyNordic figures are included in the Finnair Group's total figures.

Arrival punctuality of scheduled flights was 84.1% (based on a fifteen minute standard), 3.4 points lower than in October 2005. Including leisure flights arrival punctuality was 81.9% (-3.9 p.p).

Total Finnair Group traffic, measured in passenger kilometers, decreased by 0.9% in October, while the capacity was down by 1.2%, resulting in a passenger load factor of 72.3% or 0.2 points higher than last year. All Finnair Group airlines altogether transported 703,700 passengers, which is 5.9% less than a year ago.

In scheduled traffic (international + domestic) revenue passenger kilometres increased by 7.6%. The change in capacity was + 5.5%. Passenger load factor was 69.4%, 1.4 percentage points higher than last year.

In scheduled international traffic, the total number of passengers was up by 2.1%. Capacity in ASKs was +8.4%, while RPKs increased by 9.6%.

In European scheduled traffic, ASKs decreased by 9.4%, and as RPKs decreased by 2.4%, the passenger load factor was 65.9%, up 4.8 points from previous year.

In North Atlantic scheduled traffic, capacity increased by 28.6%. Change in RPKs was +17.1%, and passenger load factor for October was 79.0%, 7.8 points lower than previous year.

In Asian scheduled traffic, capacity increase was 27.2%. The passenger traffic was up by 19.9%. The passenger load factor was 74.1%, 4.5 percentage points down.

Domestic scheduled traffic decreased by 16.9% on a capacity decrease of 19.4%. Passenger load factor increased by 1.6 percentage points to 51.8%.

Leisure traffic

ASKs for leisure traffic decreased in October by 19.6%, and RPKs decreased by 19.9%, resulting in a passenger load factor of 82.5%, 0.3 points lower than last year.

Cargo

Cargo traffic decreased by 0.2% in terms of cargo tonnes carried. Growth in scheduled traffic was 0.6%. Increase in Asian traffic was 8.5%. Volume in European traffic decreased by 19.7%. In North-Atlantic traffic cargo volume increased by 37.9%. Cargo traffic carried on chartered cargo flights decreased by 6%. The cargo load factor was 49%. The cargo load factor in the Far Eastern traffic was 56.3% and in the North Atlantic traffic 80.7%.

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