Finnair’s December passenger volume reached a new high, the number of passengers per year increased by more than one million to close to 12 million passengers
In December, Finnair’s overall capacity measured in Available Seat Kilometres increased by 15.1 percent year?on?year, and traffic measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres grew by 17.4 percent. The number of passengers carried in December increased by 13.0 percent year-on-year to 951,400 passengers, breaking Finnair’s December record. The passenger load factor increased by 1.6 percentage points to 80.4 percent.
The capacity in Finnair’s largest traffic area, Asia, increased by 20.8 percent in December. Finnair’s route network in Asia was otherwise the same as in the comparison period, but flights were operated also to the new seasonal destination Goa. Also, the number of frequencies to Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Delhi and Tokyo increased year-on-year. Traffic measured in RPK grew by 23.6 percent, and the passenger load factor increased by 1.9 percentage points to 83.2 percent.
In North Atlantic, traffic capacity increased by 15.9 percent. Flights to new leisure destination Havana started and operations to New York, Miami and the new seasonal destination Puerto Vallarta, launched in November, continued. Traffic increased by 15.6 percent and the passenger load factor decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 78.2 percent.
Finnair’s capacity in European traffic increased by 7.2 percent reflecting added capacity especially to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin and Moscow. Traffic measured in RPK grew by 9.7 percent year-on-year. The passenger load factor increased by 1.8 percentage points to 78.5 percent. Domestic capacity increased by 14.1 percent and traffic by 10.2 percent. The passenger load factor decreased by 2.5 percentage points to 69.8 percent.
Available Scheduled Cargo Tonne Kilometres increased by 22.4 percent and Revenue Scheduled Cargo Tonne Kilometres increased by 43.6 percent. The positive year-on-year growth contribution was seen practically in all regions. Especially the development in Greater China was strong in December. Finnair’s total cargo capacity also included three weekly freighter flights between Helsinki and Brussels, operated by DHL. Finnair Cargo’s agreement to rent the cargo space of Japan Airlines’ daily flights between Tokyo and Helsinki ended at the end of October, which was reflected in cargo flights volumes. Finnair’s new cargo terminal COOL was taken gradually in use in the last quarter of 2017 with full cargo operations starting in January 2018.
In December, 64 percent of all Finnair flights arrived on schedule (72.7).
”The traffic measured in RPK and capacity both continued to grow in December. Exceptionally difficult winter and wind conditions and their multiplier effects, and the overtime working ban by Finnish aviation union hampered the traffic especially in Finland and Europe. Difficult conditions were reflected especially in flight punctuality and regularity,” says Finnair CFO Pekka Vähähyyppä.
“In terms of traffic performance, the fourth quarter was nonetheless good. Our Q4 capacity increased by 17.2 percent and traffic measured in RPK grew by 20.2 percent year-on-year. We carried nearly three million passengers in the last quarter of the year and close to 12 million in 2017,” Vähähyyppä continued.
According to preliminary data, Finnair’s unit revenue, or RASK (total Group revenue divided by ASK), decreased in October–December by 3.4 percent year-on-year and totalled 6.72 euro cents. Full year unit revenue increased by 1.8 percent to 6.96 euro cents according to preliminary data.
Traffic statistics for January 2018 will be published on Wednesday, 7 February 2018.
Finnair Traffic Performance December 2017
| December 2017 | %-Change | Year-to-date 2017 | %-Change | |
| Total Traffic | ||||
| Passengers 1000 | 951,4 | 13,0 | 11 904,6 | 9,6 |
| Available seat kilometres mill | 3 137,8 | 15,1 | 36 922,0 | 8,9 |
| Revenue passenger kilometres mill | 2 524,3 | 17,4 | 30 749,7 | 13,6 |
| Passenger load factor % | 80,4 | 1,6 | 83,3 | 3,5 |
| Cargo tonnes total | 12 009,7 | 34,6 | 157 027,7 | 8,6 |
| Available tonne kilometres mill | 467,4 | 14,8 | 5 518,7 | 9,9 |
| Revenue tonne-kilometres mill | 302,2 | 23,1 | 3 721,1 | 12,9 |
| Overall load factor % | 64,7 | 4,3 | 67,4 | 1,8 |
| Europe | ||||
| Passengers 1000 | 531,0 | 12,6 | 7 352,3 | 10,0 |
| Available seat kilometres mill | 1 047,3 | 7,2 | 14 152,0 | 6,8 |
| Revenue passenger kilometres mill | 822,6 | 9,7 | 11 421,6 | 9,7 |
| Passenger load factor % | 78,5 | 1,8 | 80,7 | 2,1 |
| North Atlantic | ||||
| Passengers 1000 | 27,4 | 12,1 | 318,2 | 7,3 |
| Available seat kilometres mill | 269,3 | 15,9 | 2 776,1 | 3,1 |
| Revenue passenger kilometres mill | 210,4 | 15,6 | 2 311,5 | 8,0 |
| Passenger load factor % | 78,2 | -0,2 | 83,3 | 3,8 |
| Asia | ||||
| Passengers 1000 | 179,7 | 23,2 | 2 105,0 | 18,1 |
| Available seat kilometres mill | 1 645,0 | 20,8 | 18 355,0 | 11,7 |
| Revenue passenger kilometres mill | 1 368,4 | 23,6 | 15 911,3 | 18,3 |
| Passenger load factor % | 83,2 | 1,9 | 86,7 | 4,9 |
| Domestic | ||||
| Passengers 1000 | 213,3 | 6,8 | 2 129,1 | 1,1 |
| Available seat kilometres mill | 176,2 | 14,1 | 1 638,9 | 6,5 |
| Revenue passenger kilometres mill | 122,9 | 10,2 | 1 105,2 | 3,9 |
| Passenger load factor % | 69,8 | -2,5 | 67,4 | -1,7 |
| Cargo Traffic | ||||
| Cargo scheduled traffic total tonnes | 11 386,7 | 50,1 | 139 639,9 | 9,7 |
| Europe tonnes | 1 652,9 | 6,7 | 25 578,6 | -0,2 |
| North Atlantic tonnes | 593,5 | 37,2 | 9 172,8 | 4,9 |
| Asia tonnes | 9 090,4 | 66,7 | 103 967,7 | 14,0 |
| Domestic tonnes | 49,9 | -67,0 | 920,8 | -47,6 |
| Cargo flights, tonnes** | 623,1 | -53,5 | 17 387,8 | 0,8 |
| Cargo tonnes total | 12 009,7 | 34,6 | 157 027,7 | 8,6 |
| Available tonne kilometres* mill | 118,0 | 22,4 | 1 473,8 | 6,4 |
| Revenue tonne kilometres mill | 76,4 | 43,6 | 969,8 | 11,1 |
| Available sched.cargo tonne kms*, mill. | 116,6 | 31,5 | 1 388,9 | 7,9 |
| Revenue sched.cargo tonne kms, mill. | 75,3 | 62,7 | 886,3 | 13,0 |
| Cargo load factor* % | 64,7 | 9,6 | 65,8 | 2,7 |
| – North-Atlantic cargo load factor* % | 46,7 | 5,3 | 50,3 | 2,7 |
| – Asia cargo load factor* % | 73,0 | 14,4 | 71,5 | 4,2 |
| Scheduled traffic Cargo load factor*, % | 64,6 | 12,4 | 63,8 | 2,8 |
* Operational calculatory capacity
** Including purchased traffic
Change %: Change compared to the figures of the respective periods in the previous year
(p = percentage points)
Available seat kilometres, ASK: Total number of seats available, multiplied by the number of kilometres flown
Revenue passenger kilometres, RPK: Number of revenue passengers carried, multiplied by kilometres flown
Passenger load factor: Share of revenue passenger kilometres of available seat kilometres
Available tonne kilometres, ATK: Number of tonnes of capacity for carriage of passengers, cargo and mail, multiplied by kilometres flown
Revenue tonne kilometres, RTK: Total revenue load consisting of passengers, cargo and mail, multiplied by kilometres flown
Finnair Plc Investor News 9 January 2018 at 09:30
