Finnair April 2003 traffic volumes severely affected by Iraq War and SARS

In April 2003 Finnair carried a total of 538,800 passengers, which is 14.3% less than year before. 457,300 of the passengers were carried in scheduled traffic (-15.2 %) and 81,600 in leisure traffic (-9.0%). The total passenger traffic (RPK's) decreased by 14.9%, while the capacity (ASK) was down by 6.5%, resulting in a passenger load factor (including leisure flights) of 61.9%, 6.2 points lower than last year. Passenger volumes decreased throughout Finnair's network due to concerns about the war in Iraq and increasingly towards the end of the month because of caution and travel restrictions as a consequence of SARS. In comparison with last year the timing of Easter holidays reduced business travelling during the third and fourth week of April.

Departure punctuality of scheduled flights was 93.7 % (based on a fifteen minute standard), 2.9 percentage points better than in April 2002. Including leisure flights departure punctuality was 93.0 % (+2.5 p.u).

As from January 2003 the traffic performance report will also include the figures of Finnair's associated company Aero Airlines AS, to which Finnair handed over most of it's Helsinki-Tallinn operations in June 1st 2002. In April Aero carried 10,700 passengers with a PLF of 60.1 %.

Scheduled traffic

* RPKs in scheduled traffic (international + domestic) decreased by 18.7 %. The change in capacity was -4.1 %. Passenger load factor was 55.4 %, 10.0 percentage points lower than last year.

* In scheduled international traffic, premium traffic decreased by 22.9 %, while the total number of passengers was down by 16.1 %. Capacity in ASKs was -2.7 %, while RPKs decreased by 19.9 %.

* - In European scheduled traffic, ASKs dropped by 6.0 %, and as RPKs decreased by 14.1 %, the passenger load factor was 54.1 %, down 5.1 points from previous year.

* - In North Atlantic scheduled traffic, capacity decreased by 14.8 %. Change in RPKs was -22.0 %, and passenger load factor for April was 60.8 %, 5.6 p.u. lower than previous year. Premium traffic decreased by 38.4 %.

* - In Far East scheduled traffic, capacity increase was 9.7 %. The passenger traffic was down by 27.7 %. Passenger load factor was 56.0 %, 28.9 percentage units down. The number of premium passengers decreased by 56.6 %.

* Domestic scheduled traffic decreased by 13.2 % on a capacity decrease of 9.6 %. Passenger load factor decreased by 2.3 p.u. to 55.3 %.

Leisure traffic

* ASKs for leisure traffic decreased in April by 13.0 %, and RPKs decreased accordingly by 6.2 %, resulting in a passenger load factor of 81.3 %, 5.9 points higher than last year.

Cargo

* Cargo traffic decreased by 3.6 % in terms of cargo tonnes carried. Cargo tonnes in scheduled traffic increased by 1.2%, out of which the biggest volume growth took place in Far Eastern traffic 18,3. Cargo tonnes in North Atlantic traffic decreased by 11.1 %. Load factor in chartered cargo traffic was 73.2 %.