Aeroflot passenger traffic in January 2014 totalled 1.6 million – a 13.7% year-on-year growth, considerably ahead of the overall Russian industry growth rate for the period of 8.0%.
Revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) for the period totalled 4.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10.1% (versus 6.6% for the industry overall). In January the Company expanded its fleet, flying one new Airbus A320, one new Boeing 737-800 and one new Boeing 777-300ER, which also contributed to a 10.8% year-on-year rise in available seat kilometres (ASK). Higher ASK led to a decrease in the passenger load factor; it was 73.2% for the month, half a percentage point lower than the same period a year earlier.
For the Aeroflot Group, total passenger traffic was 2.3 million, growing 11.6% year-on-year and outpacing the 8.0% growth rate of the industry in Russia as a whole. The main factor driving passenger traffic growth was a 23.5% increase in domestic traffic.
RPKs increased 4.2% year-on-year to 6.2 billion. This growth was attributable to an increase in domestic RPK, which rose 16.2% to 2.0 billion and now accounts for nearly a third of total RPK.
The passenger load factor was 72.4%, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points versus the same period a year earlier. This decrease was largely due to a rise in ASK, predominantly on Aeroflot standalone.
In 2013 JSC Aeroflot discontinued its dedicated cargo fleet, switching to belly cargo operations. This was the main reason that cargo carried declined 17.5% in January 2014 versus the same period a year earlier.