Increase of 26% in domestic traffic – 28% increase in international traffic from Athens Airport
January – April 2014: 2,379,000 passengers
Kifissia, Greece – Total passenger traffic for AEGEAN and Olympic Air was up by 26% for April 2014, climbing to 751,347 passengers, 153,443 more than the total for both companies during the same period in 2013. In April, AEGEAN and Olympic Air operated 7.933 flights improving the load factor by 9 units, reaching 76%. It is noted that the results for April benefited from the fact that the Catholic and Orthodox Easter coincided that month, boosting both international and domestic traffic.
Specifically, the company in April, the first month of the summer period, marked an increase in activity in the international market from all Greek bases by 29%, transporting 340,000 passengers – 76,000 more than in April 2013.
A particularly positive indicator was an upturn in Athens, which in April marked a 28% increase in international traffic, reversing the trend of previous years. The rise in traffic is mainly the result of the new destinations launched by the company in 2013 and continued during the winter period and first month of the summer period. It mainly involved the cities of Berlin, Geneva, Warsaw and Prague, as well as growth in traffic to traditional destinations like Brussels and Madrid. It is noted that the company is set to launch 14 new destinations from Athens for 2014 which are scheduled for May and June and have not yet had an impact on increased traffic.
In the domestic market, the introduction of a new pricing policy with two fare categories (light and Flex) starting at 24 euros resulted in increased passenger traffic for both companies by 26%, transporting 411,000 passengers, compared to 327,000 for the comparable period in 2013. Even Kefalonia, following the earthquake activity in March, showed an increase of 90% thanks to its capacity policy and discount special offers. At the same time, the offer of lower fares and the increased capacity on low-demand routes resulted in an increase in traffic by 30% in April 2014.
For the four-month period January-April, total passenger traffic marked an increase of 16%, climbing to 2,379,000 passengers, 330,000 more in comparison to the sum of passengers for both companies for the same period in 2013. Total international passenger traffic from all bases showed an increase of 14%, climbing to 1,037,000 passengers, 128,000 more than the comparable period last year. The increase in international traffic was 17% and 790,000 passengers for Athens Airport alone.
Similarly, passengers on the domestic network amounted to 1,342,000, accounting for a 20% increase, while the total for Athens Airport alone amounted to 1,156,000, for an 18% increase.
Mr. Dimitris Gerogiannis, Managing Director for AEGEAN and Olympic Air, said: “It is very significant that we are seeing a balanced recovery from Athens despite increased competition. The enhancement of our network with new international destinations and improved connections and frequency domestically, as well as the new pricing policy we adopted in conjunction with the quality of our services, have led us to achieve positive results. We are optimistic about the summer period, despite developments in Ukraine that may cause a drop in passenger traffic from Russia. But the start seems positive and reinforces the soundness of our strategy.”
In continuing the momentum noted in the first quarter of 2014, AEGEAN will offer a total of 13,000,000 seats for the year on flights to 87 international destinations to 32 countries and 33 domestic destinations from 8 Greek bases.
