STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 9, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- The SAS Group (Other OTC:SASDF) transported a total of 2.6 million passengers in April 2003 vs 2.9 million in 2002, a decrease of 11.8%.
- Total traffic (RPK) decreased by 5.6%.
- Overall group passenger load factor decreased by 5.6 p.u to 60.5% for April 2003 vs. 2002.
Market trends and yield development The traffic development in April was affected by weak economies, the conflict in Iraq and the situation with the SARS virus. In addition, the timing of easter (in March 2002 vs April 2003) put additional pressure on traffic and yield development compared with 2002. Indications of passenger yield development in April show significant pressure on yields for Scandinavian Airlines as a result of easter, negative mix, campaigns and other market activities. Yield (unit revenues) for March 2003 was positively affected by easter and was down 7% vs. March 2002. It must be noted that the yield is also significantly affected by more capacity on intercontinental routes with lower yields. Yields on the European routes were down 4% in March.
The yield development in March is in line with the figures reported for the previous months when adjusted for the easter effects. Forceful measures are initiated to offset the negative development in passenger volumes and yield. Since the end of the Iraq war, bookings has recovered particularly to/ from the U.S., but from low levels. On the positive, traffic on european routes has improved and showed good growth on group level in April. Due to the situation with continued weak economies and the SARS virus in Asia, the outlook remains cautious.
Scandinavian Airlines
Scandinavian Airlines traffic (RPK) decreased by 13.0% in April 2003 compared with 2002. .Scandinavian Airlines passenger load factor decreased by 9.2 p.u. to 60.2%
Intercontinental traffic decreased by 12% in April. Traffic to/from the U.S was weak due to the conflict in Iraq. The traffic to/ from South East Asia was affected by the SARS situation and reductions in capacity has been intiated. The demand on the European routes has improved somewhat and traffic was down 3.4%. In its first full month of operation, passenger load factor on the new low price initative, Snowflake, was above 70% in April. Intrascandinavian traffic continued to be weak. Danish domestic traffic was down mainly as a result of the discontinued Greenland route. The Norwegian and Swedish domestic traffic was affected by easter, changes in the network with reduced capacity and the markets continued to be weak.
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