• 66,100 more passengers in May 2015 than in April 2015
• Positive development of North Atlantic flights leads to passenger increase on intercontinental routes
• In May for the first time: four times per week to Odessa
In the month of May 2015, Austrian Airlines carried a total of 998,000 passengers. This comprises an increase of 66,100 passengers compared to the previous month of April 2015. In a year-on-year comparison this represents an expected decrease in total passenger volume of 4.7 percent from May 2014 due to the crises in Russia, the Ukraine and the Middle East. Moreover, the timing of holidays in May 2015 and the related rise in the number of days off in comparison to May 2014 resulted in a weaker level of bookings on the part of business travelers. The flight offering in available seat kilometers (ASK) rose by 5.0 percent, mainly as a result of North Atlantic flights which had not yet been part of the flight schedule in May 2014. Revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) were up by 0.9 percent. Capacity utilization of the flights (passenger load factor) was 75.4 percent on average, thus higher than the figure of 73.7 percent for April 2015.
In the period January to May 2015, the targeted reduction in the winter flight schedule was strongly reflected in the traffic results. Austrian Airlines proactively reduced its flight service in accordance with its business plan due to the weak demand at this time of the year, and increasingly shifted technical checks to this time span. Furthermore, the crises in Russia, the Ukraine and Middle East also led to a drop in demand. On balance, the airline’s flight offering measured in available seat kilometers was cut back by 1.2 percent from the previous year, whereas revenue passenger kilometers dropped by 4.8 percent. Passenger volume totaled 3.9 million, comprising a decline of 9.0 percent from the prior-year period, as expected. The passenger load factor was down 2.9 percentage points to 73.8 percent.
Europe
In the first five months from January to May 2015, Austrian Airlines cut back on its flight offering in Europe by 8.7 percent from the previous year, mainly due to the crises in Russia and the Ukraine. On balance, about 3.3 million passengers flew with Austrian Airlines in Europe. This corresponds to a decrease of 10.3 percent in a year-on-year comparison, in line with expectations. Capacity utilization fell by 2.8 percentage points to 71.2 percent.
In the month of May 2015 alone, Austrian Airlines carried about 844,100 passengers in Europe, comprising a drop of 6.1 percent from the prior-year level, as expected. On balance, capacity utilization on European flights was down 2.8 percentage points to 74.7 percent in May 2015. Available seat kilometers decreased by 2.5 percent.
Intercontinental
In the period January to May 2015, approximately 642,700 passengers flew on the long-haul flights offered by Austrian Airlines, a drop of 2.0 percent from the previous year. The offering measured in available seat kilometers rose by 5.7 percent as a consequence of North Atlantic flights which had not yet been offered in the prior-year period. Revenue passenger kilometers were up by 1.4 percentage points. The passenger load factor was down 3.2 percentage points to 75.9 percent.
In May 2015, Austrian Airlines carried about 154,000 passengers on its intercontinental flights, an increase of 4.1 percent from the prior-year level. Available seat kilometers were increased by 11.9 percent, whereas revenue passenger kilometers improved by 7.0 percent. The passenger load factor amounted to 75.9 percent, 3.4 percentage points lower than in the previous year.
