OREANDA-NEWS.  The Lufthansa Group improved the load factors for its aircraft once again in October. Across the Group, an average of 80.5 per cent of seats on passenger planes were taken. Compared with last year, this represents an increase of 1.6 percentage points. The higher load factor is the result of a 3.9 increase in sales (measured in revenue passenger-kilometres). Available seat-kilometres were up by 1.8 per cent compared with October 2012. The aircraft load factors improved in all traffic regions. The Group’s steepest increase was on routes to and from Europe, where the figure climbed by two percentage points. Sales rose highest (+7.5 per cent) for the Lufthansa Group’s airlines on flights to and from North, South and Central America.

The number of passengers carried by Lufthansa, Germanwings, Swiss and Austrian Airlines went up by 2.4 per cent to 9.8 million. In the cargo segment the Group registered higher traffic as the traditionally strong pre-Christmas season began. Altogether the Lufthansa Group carried 172,000 tonnes of freight and mail in October, which marks an increase of one per cent. Available tonne-kilometres went up by 4.8 per cent and sales by 4.4 per cent, keeping the cargo load factor for the whole Group virtually stable at 69 per cent (-0.3 percentage points).

Lufthansa German Airlines and Germanwings were the main contributor to the improved load factor in passenger traffic in October. The two German airlines in the Group increased the load factor of its aircraft year on year by 1.9 percentage points to 79.7 per cent. The two airlines expanded their capacity by 1.4 per cent, while sales were up 3.9 per cent. Three per cent more passengers also chose to fly with Lufthansa or Germanwings than a year ago, taking the total to 7.1 million. Swiss was also able to improve its already high load factor yet again. The passenger load factor rose by 0.4 percentage points to 84.2 per cent. The company carried 1.5 million passengers (+0.5 per cent). Austrian Airlines boosted its passenger load factor by one percentage point to 80 per cent, transporting one million passengers (+0.9 per cent).