13-Aug-2010 3:41 PM

Turkish Airlines pax rise 20%; Iberia load factor up 2.8 ppts

European airline shares continued their recent fall with wider markets on Thursday (12-Aug-2010) with a mixed day of trading. After a strong day, European share markets generally fell in the afternoon after the US reported a higher-than-expected number of jobless claims.

In key markets, UK’s FTSE (+0.4%) rose, but Germany’s DAX (-0.3%) and France’s CAC (-0.2%) slipped.

Turkish Airlines passenger numbers rise 20%

Turkish Airlines (+1.8%) was one of few carriers to gain for the day, after reporting a 3.9 ppt year-on-year rise in load factor to 73.4%. The improvement was the result of a 26.6% rise in traffic (RPMs) for the month, on a 19.9% increase in capacity (ASMs).

Passenger numbers also gained for the month, rising 20.0% to 16.3 million. In positive news for the carrier, international business-class passengers rose 36.2% for the month, while international transit passenger numbers were up 23.0%.

Cargo volume for the month also rose, up 16.8% to 177,398 tons.

See related CAPA Profile: Air Freight

Iberia load factor up 2.8 ppts

Iberia (-1.3%) fell despite the carrier reporting a 2.8 ppt year-on-year improvement in load factor to 87.6%. The improvement was led by a 4.0 ppt rise in long-haul load factor to 90.9%. However, Africa and Middle East loads were down 2.2 ppts for the month to 78.0%.

The improved load factor was the result of a 5.3% increase in traffic (RPKs) on a 1.9% increase in capacity (ASM).

See related CAPA Profile: Traffic and Capacity

Vueling’s decline came after news Spain's Leading Economic Index (LEI) declined (12-Aug-2010) 0.5% in Jun-2010, while the Coincident Economic Index (CEI) increased 0.2% in the month, according to The Conference Board. The board stated it expects economic recovery in the country to remain weak in the near term. Spain’s MSCI fell 0.5% for the day as a result.

Elsewhere, Norwegian Air Shuttle (-5.0%) was the biggest fall of the day, while Aer Lingus (-4.3%) continued its decline after cabin crew announced plans to launch industrial action.

TUI Travel (+1.4%), Aegean Airlines (+0.4%) and Air France-KLM (+0.2%) rounded out the day’s gainers.

Europe selected airlines daily share price movements (% change): 12-Aug-2010