Further recovery in passenger and freight business
The consolidation of the traffic data for bmi and Austrian Airlines continues to have a strong effect on the performance figures for
the Lufthansa Group. On a like-for-like basis Lufthansa and SWISS carried 4.8 million passengers in January, 0.6 per cent more than in the same month last year. The increase in capacity (+3.3%) was almost fully sold (+3.0%), so that the passenger load factor remained more or less the same at 74.0 per cent (-0.3 pp). Higher sales, sometimes substantially so, were reported for all traffic regions with the exception of Europe. In Europe the passenger load factor came to 60.8 per cent (-1.7 pp), with almost stable sales (+0.4%) and capacity increasing by 3.2 per cent. Capacity was also extended in the Americas traffic region (+3.6%) and the passenger load factor (80.1%) fell slightly (-0.6 pp) for a similar rise in sales (+2.9%). In Asia by contrast, the load factor went up to 82.2 per cent (+2.6 pp), as the increase in sales of 2.7 per cent was only accompanied by a moderate reduction of capacity (-0.5%). The capacity increase in Middle East/Africa (+9.6%) was well received (+7.5%), the passenger load factor coming to 70.4 per cent (-1.4 pp).
Lufthansa Passenger Airlines were able to increase sales by 3.1 per cent. With a lower number of flights, capacity rose by 4.7 per cent due to structural effects such as the replacement of smaller aircraft with larger planes in European traffic. The load factor reached 73.5 per cent (-1.1 pp). In European traffic sales fell by 2.4 per cent, capacity rose by 2.1 per cent taking the passenger load factor to 59.5 per cent (-2.8 pp). By contrast, all long-haul regions saw sales improve on the previous year. In Asia/Pacific (+2.8%) the rise exceeded the moderate growth in capacity (+0.5%).
Long-haul capacity at SWISS was scaled back by 6.8 per cent and the load factor climbed to 82.5 per cent (+5.2 pp). In short-haul traffic higher sales exceeded the increase in capacity, taking the passenger load factor up by 1.8 percentage points to 65.1 per cent. The overall passenger load factor was 76.5 per cent (+3.6 pp).
Austrian Airlines slashed its total capacity by 7.1 per cent and its long-haul capacity by as much as 14.6 per cent compared with the previous year. As the fall in sales was only slight (-1.8 per cent), the load factor picked up sharply by 3.8 percentage points to 68.7 per cent.
bmi carried some 425,000 passengers in January and achieved a passenger load factor of 61.1 per cent.
Lufthansa Cargo also had a good start to the new year. The company improved its cargo load factor by 14.8 percentage points on last year's poor figure to 67.8 per cent. Sales shot up by 20.8 per cent, with the fastest growth still coming from Asia.
Codesharing with Brussels Airlines to Africa expanded
Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines have increased the scope of their cooperation, adding to the African destinations on offer to their customers. Lufthansa customers can now book codesharing flights with Brussels Airlines on four additional connections to Africa. This means passengers can now fly on a LH flight number via Brussels to the African capitals Conakry (Guinea), Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Kigali (Rwanda). The two Lufthansa flights to Luanda, the capital of Angola, from Frankfurt are now to be supplemented by two codesharing connections via Brussels. As part of the greater cooperation Brussels Airlines can also offer its own tickets to passengers on Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt to Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt (all in Nigeria), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) and to Luanda. Including Austrian, Brussels Airlines, SWISS and bmi, the Group's passengers can now choose between 31 destinations in 27 African countries.
Lufthansa and SWISS win accolade for Best Business Class
The magazine Business Traveller has awarded prizes to not just one, but two of the members of the Passenger Airline Group. For 2009 Lufthansa was voted number one in the categories Best Business Class on domestic German and European flights and Best Airline Website for Business Travellers. At the same time, SWISS was confirmed as Best Business Class for flights to North and South America. The Swiss company that started a phased introduction of its new Business Class in spring 2009, received this award for the fourth year in a row.
AeroLogic expands its network to Asia and the USA
The delivery in January of two more freighters to AeroLogic, the joint venture with DHL, broadened its network. AeroLogic offers daily flights from Leipzig to Hong Kong and weekend connections from Frankfurt to Atlanta and Chicago. The new destinations and increased frequencies of direct flights will enable both joint venture partners to add considerably to their network for customers in future. In the current financial year AeroLogic is anticipating the delivery of four additional Boeing 777Fs, which will complete the new larger network by early 2011.
Lufthansa Technik adds to customer portfolio in Asia
The low-cost airline AirAsia X has appointed Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) as the MRO service provider for its fleet. LTP is to service the AirAsia X fleet of eight Airbus A330s and A340s at its Manila base for three years from March, with extensive base maintenance services. LTP has already acquired many well-known airlines from around the world as clients and is continuing this trend by specialising in the overhaul of the Airbus models A320, A330 and A340.
The next Investor Info with the traffic figures for February will be published on 9 March 2010.
The annual report for 2009 will be published on 11 March 2010.
