(Alliance News) - International Consolidated Airlines Group SA on Friday said traffic and capacity were both higher in November, though capacity only marginally so.
Traffic, as measured in revenue passenger kilometres, was 4.9% higher in November at 21.75 billion versus 20.73 billion the year before. The sharpest rise by region was Latin America & Caribbean, where revenue passenger kilometres rose 12% to 4.26 billion from 3.79 billion. All regions showed an increase in traffic.
Capacity, as measured in available seat kilometres, rose slightly to 25.93 billion from 25.68 billion - an increase of 1.0%. By region, domestic showed the sharpest percentage increase, 7.8%, to 1.94 billion from 1.80 billion. Latin America & Caribbean capacity was also higher, followed by North America and Asia Pacific. Capacity in Europe fell 3.1% to 5.61 billion from 5.79 billion, with a 2.8% decline in Africa, Middle East & South Asia to 3.45 billion from 3.55 billion.
Passengers carried rose 3.6% to 8.7 million from 8.4 million, most steeply in Latin America & Caribbean by 13% to 518,000 from 459,000. Passenger load factor rose to 83.9% from 80.7%.
British Airways, IAG's biggest airline unit, saw passengers carried rise 2.8% to 3.7 million from 3.6 million. In terms of traffic, revenue passenger kilometres was 3.1% higher at 12.17 billion from 11.80 billion, while capacity was down 0.5% at 14.56 billion available seal kilometres versus 14.64 billion year-on-year.
In early November, IAG said its Spanish Iberia airline unit had agreed to acquire Air Europa for EUR1 billion in cash, a deal which is set to complete in the second half of 2020. Iberia is also trialling an app-based biometric identity programme which will let passengers use a biometric profile on their phones to identify themselves at security control and boarding gates instead of having to show travel documents.
British Airways is to take delivery of its first Boeing 787-10 Dream in early 2020, and is introducing artificial intelligence to its airside operation at Heathrow terminal 5 under a GBP6.5 billion customer investment.
IAG will no longer disclose monthly traffic data from January, but will instead report traffic data on a quarterly basis, in line with other European and North American airlines.
Shares in IAG were up 1.5% at 556.60 pence in London on Friday afternoon.
By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com
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International Airlines (IAG)