8th Jan 2015 16:21
LONDON (Alliance News) - International Consolidated Airlines Group Ltd, parent of British Airways and Spanish airlines Iberia and Vueling, Thursday said its traffic rose on the year in December, including its most profitable premium traffic, and its planes were more full.
Group traffic in December, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, rose 5.7% on the year. Capacity, measured in available passenger kilometres rose by 5.0%, meaning that load factor, a measure of how full its planes are rose by 0.5 percentage points to 79.7%.
Revenue passengers are those that pay commercial fares, and exclude free staff flights and free children's flights. Revenue passenger kilometres include the kilometres flown, by stages, and is an attempt to measure sales volume.
IAG reported a 4.3% increase in its most profitable group premium traffic during December compared with the same period in 2013.
The increase in group traffic in December was driven by a 15% increase in Europe, a 10.1% increase in UK, Spain and Italy domestic traffic, alongside a 9.3% rise in Latin America, a 7.3% rise in Asia Pacific and a 3.4% rise in North America. Group traffic in December dropped by 4.8% in Africa, the Middle East and southern Asia.
For 2014 as a whole, group traffic measured in revenue passenger kilometres, increased by 6.6% when Vueling figures are included throughout the comparison period. IAG acquired Vueling in April 2013. Capacity rose by 7.0% on the same basis, meaning load factor fell 0.3 percentage points.
All geographical locations saw annual increases, with traffic on UK, Italy and Spain domestic routes up 24.2%, and traffic in Europe rising by 19.4%, representing the group's biggest areas of growth for the year.
The airline group said it carried 5.8 million passengers during December, a 10.8% increase compared witth the comparable period in 2013 when it carried 5.2 million. IAG Group carried a total of 77.3 million passengers over the whole of 2014, up 10 million or 15% from 2013.
In addition, IAG Group said Spanish airliner Iberia released plans to operate 13 new routes in key European markets such as Germany, Italy and the UK with its subsidiary Iberia Express. Iberia will also add 65 weekly flights to 24 existing Spanish, European and longhaul destinations.
Iberia has also signed a codeshare agreement with Brazilian airliner TAM, which is part of the LATAM Airlines Group, which covers 19 routes in Europe and Brazil, said IAG Group in a statement.
IAG shares were down 0.9% to 477.10 pence per share on Thursday afternoon.
By Joshua Warner; joshuawarner@alliancenews.com; @JoshAlliance
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