French pax traffic up but cargo suffers
11 / 11 / 2008
AIR France-KLM’s October passenger traffic data compared well to October last year, which was affected by a strike, but cargo took a major dip. This year, traffic rose 9.0 per cent with capacity up by 8.0 per cent. The load factor for the month stood at 81.3 per cent (+0.7 points). Excluding the impact of the strike, the rise in traffic would have been in the region of 3.6 per cent. The group recorded a rise in unit revenues excluding currency impact and carried 6.6 million passengers (+5.7 per cent).
Cargo traffic fell 4.4 per cent in October 2008 with capacity up by 2.1 per cent. The load factor fell 4.5 points to 65.5 per cent. These disappointing results, during an equally disappointing flat peak season, are attributed not only to the global economic downturn but also a fall in exports from south-east Asia.