IAG traffic and capacity rise in November

(ShareCast News) - British Airways and Iberia parent International Consolidated Airlines Group reported a 3.2% rise in traffic for November from the same month last year, as measured in revenue passenger kilometres.The airline, which also owns Aer Lingus and Vueling, said group capacity measured in available seat kilometres was up 3.7%, while group premium traffic for the month of November increased by 4.4% compared to the previous year.The load factor - which gauges how full the planes were - nudged down to 78.9% from 79.3% in November 2015.Earlier this month, IAG announced the introduction of high-speed inflight wi-fi across its airlines' shorthaul fleets, having reached an agreement with Inmarsat to be the launch customer of its next-generation European air-to-ground connectivity.The airline also announced its 2017 transatlantic growth plans, which include a new route from Dublin to Miami and additional frequencies on its Dublin to Los Angeles, Chicago and Orlando services.In addition, British Airways announced its new service from London Gatwick to Oakland, California from March 28, 2017. It also noted plans to invest $110m in its US airport facilities to enhance the customer experience.At 1525 GMT, the shares were down 0.2% to 415.10p.