Traffic Results in February 2015: 584,800 Passengers Flew with Austrian Airlines

· Austrian Airlines carried out targeted flight service reductions in the weak winter months

· Greater focus on long-haul tourist destinations planned for next winter

Austrian Airlines optimized its flight schedule during the weak winter months. As in January, Austria’s national carrier reduced its offering measured in available seat kilometers (ASK) in February 2015 by 6.7 percent compared to the prior-year period. Accordingly, Austrian Airlines took account of demand which is generally weaker in Central Europe during the winter months. As expected, fewer passengers flew with Austrian Airlines in the month of February. On balance, Austria’s national carrier transported a total of 584,800 passengers in February, comprising a decline of 13.2 percent in a year-on-year comparison. Revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) fell by 10.4 percent. Capacity utilization (passenger load factor) fell three percentage points to 71.6 percent.

In the period January to February 2015, Austrian Airlines optimized its flight schedule, and proactively reduced its capacity measured in available seat kilometers (ASK) by 7.8 percent. Passenger volume during the first two months of the year fell by 14.5 percent to about 1.2 million, in line with expectations. Revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) in January and February were down by 9.8 percent. Capacity utilization (passenger load factor) decreased by 1.6 percentage points to 71.7 percent.

In the future, Austrian Airlines wants to increasingly focus on long-haul tourist destinations, which are particularly in demand in the winter months. Maldives, Mauritius and Miami are just the beginning. Other destinations will be added in the future. In this way, Austria’s leading carrier wants to purposefully compensate for the strong seasonal nature of winter.

Europe
In February 2015, Austrian Airlines carried about 488,200 passengers in Europe, corresponding to a decrease of 14.2 percent from the previous year. This drop is partly due to the sluggish seasonal demand. It was also the consequence of the drop in the number of passengers flying from Russia and Ukraine because of the crisis in the region, which in turn led to a corresponding decline in transfer passenger volume. On balance, capacity utilization (passenger load factor) on European flights was down 1.4 percentage points to 68.4 percent.

In the period January to February 2015, close to 978,600 passengers flew with Austrian Airlines in Europe, comprising a decline of 16.2 percent from the comparable period of 2014. The passenger load factor fell by 2.2 percentage points to 66.4 percent.

Intercontinental

Austrian Airlines carried approximately 96,600 passengers on its intercontinental flights in February 2015, comprising a decline of 7.6 percent compared to the previous year. The passenger load factor was down by 5.0 percentage points to 74.0 percent compared to February of 2014.

In the period January to February 2015, about 211,800 passengers flew on the long-haul flights offered by Austrian Airlines, a drop of 5.6 percent year-on-year. The passenger load factor fell by 1.9 percentage points to 75.7 percent.