Passenger traffic at Air France-KLM in August fell for the first time since it was hit by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud in April but said the trend in forward bookings was positive.
Traffic dropped 2.1 per cent on its Americas routes, 2.7 per cent on services to and from Africa and the Middle East and 1.1 per cent on its European network, the Franco-Dutch carrier said. Overall passenger traffic slid 1.2 per cent last month.
"Leisure traffic was slightly less dynamic than in August 2009, which had seen robust levels of activity," the airline said in a statement. "Forward bookings for the coming months show a positive trend."
The passenger load factor, a measure of how much capacity the carrier filled, was down 0.3 percentage points at 84.5 per cent, the company said. The airline reduced the amount of seating capacity available by 0.9 per cent.
Capacity was also reduced by 0.9 per cent in its cargo business, where traffic increased by 0.5 per cent. The cargo load factor rose 0.8 points to 64.3 per cent. Unit revenue rose strongly, Air France-KLM added.
The August decline in traffic at Air France-KLM was slower than that at UK rival British Airways, which posted a drop of 2.9 per cent, pulled down by Asia-Pacific and Americas routes.
Reuters