IAG beats AF-KLM to finishing post

IT is a case of victory for the young over the old. Recent merger IAG (British Airways-Iberia) ended 2011 with a freight traffic gain of 11.5 per cent in December 2011 against the year-ago period.

Seven-year-old Air France-KLM meanwhile lost 0.3 per cent.

IAG total 2011 traffic rose 6.4 per cent over 2010. Its December figure was in part down to a 16.9 per cent surge in BA volume, which outweighed a 10.2 per cent drop in Iberia’s cargo traffic. BA’s recent strong performance was executed against severe weather conditions in the UK and continental Europe a year before, grounding thousands of flights.

BA’s full-year cargo traffic improved 4.4 per cent on 2010, while Iberia ended the year 3.7 per cent higher.

Air France-KLM reduced its freighter capacity in recent months, contributing to a 1.7 per cent decline in cargo revenue in 2011 against the previous year. In December 2011 the load factor amounted to 68.1 per cent. Unit revenue per available tonne kilometre ex-currency declined slightly.