British Airways down; Government looking to privatise Turkish Airlines; Aeroflot gains on World Cup
British Airways (-1.9%) declined with the majority of European airline shares on Friday (03-Dec-2010) after reporting a 1.2ppt year-on-year decline in load factor for Nov-2010 to 74.7%. The decline was led by a 5.3ppt reduction in Asia Pacific load factor to 80.9%. However, the region remained BA's highest load factor among its regions. UK/Europe routes reported a 3.3ppt rise in load factor to 68.5%.
Overall, passenger numbers rose 5.9% for the month to 2.5 million. Traffic comprised a 4.5% increase in premium traffic and a 3.2% increase in non-premium traffic.
See related CAPA Profile: Traffic and Capacity
Ryanair passenger numbers rise
Ryanair (1.9%) also declined despite the LCC reporting a stable load factor of 80% for Nov-2010. Passenger numbers were up 2% for the month to 5.1 million.
Turkish Government looking to privatise Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines' (-3.6%) shares slumped on news Turkey's Privatisation Administration is seeking consultancy services to determine the privatisation strategy for Turkish Airlines. The government holds a 49.12% stake and officials have they are considering an additional public offering.
See related CAPA Profile: Privatisation and Ownership
Aeroflot to benefit from World Cup
Aeroflot (+2.1%) was the biggest gainer of the day, ahead of reporting its 3Q2010 earnings this week. The carrier reached its highest level since Jun-2008 as a result.The airline was also up on news Russia won the rights to win the 2018 World Cup. Russia stated it will make "major upgrades and capacity increases" to its airports serving the 13 host cities.
Europe selected airlines daily share price movements (% change): 03-Dec-2010
Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, Yahoo! Finance & Reuters