Aer Lingus announced that it carried 1.027 million passengers up 0.7% with a load factor of 84.7% down 1.1%. The airline carried 96,000 long-haul passengers down 3%, with a loaf factor of 86.8% down 3% on a 0.5% reduction in capacity. On the short-haul it carried 931,000 passengers up 1.1%, with a load factor of 83.7% down 0.3%, on a 2.6% increase in capacity. These figures exclude passengers carried on the United Airlines Joint-Venture Washington Dulles to Madrid
The airline announced that Aer Lingus Regional carried 78,000 passengers in July up 47.2%, reflecting the expansion of services from the 27th of March including Cork to Jersey Dublin to Aberdeen six times weekly, Bristol three times daily and Rennes weekly also Shannon to Edinburgh
It will be interesting to see Aer Lingus Half Year Results which are to be released on the 24th of August, in the context of extremely difficult market conditions with particular reference to Air Travel Tax, Dublin Airport Charges, Update on Project Greenfield, as competitors reduce capacity or eliminate routes from Dublin
Ryanair announced it carried 8.08 million passengers up 6% with a load factor of 88% up 1% and in the rolling 12 months to the end of July it carried 75.9 million passengers. The airline stated it became the first European carrier to carry in excess of 8 million passengers in a single, using the statement to take a swipe at Aer Lingus stating 8 million was the equivalent of the entire 2011 short-haul traffic, and the DAA and Government over passenger traffic collapse and the air travel tax remaining in place.
The metrics of efficiency of the Ryanair operation can be seen in the context with that of Southwest Airlines, with Ryanair carrying 8.01 million passengers with a fleet of 272 Boeing 737-800s, Southwest Airlines carried 12.6 million passengers with a fleet of 692 aircraft including Air Tran. Thus indicating the high level of efficiency and productivity of the Ryanair model.
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 8th August 2011 All Rights Reserved.
