In April 2013, International Airlines Group (IAG) traffic measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres decreased by 5.6% versus April 2012, while group capacity measured in Available Seat Kilometres was down 2.9%.
Group premium traffic for the month of April increased by 1.8% compared to the previous year. Non-premium traffic decreased by 6.9%.
The airline group, parent of British Airways and Iberia, stated that traffic and load factor “were affected by Easter and a Group policy to improve unit revenues through yield, rather than load”. Because of this it adds that to look through the Easter effect, “it is necessary to aggregate March and April. In doing so, load factor reduction was 0.6 points, premium traffic increased by 0.6% and non-premium traffic decreased by 3.2%”.
Highlights for IAG during the month of include the announcement on April 23 that Vueling will become part of the group, after the majority of its shareholders accepted IAG's cash tender offer for the airline, following recommendation by the Vueling board. IAG group owns 90.51% of Vueling, which is a standalone company within IAG, with its chief executive Alex Cruz reporting into IAG chief executive Willie Walsh. The acquisition was completed on April 26, 2013.
On April 22, IAG announced that it has placed firm orders for 18 Airbus A350-1000, plus 18 options for British Airways. These are in addition to 18 Boeing 787 options which IAG announced previously that it plans to convert into firm orders. “The A350 and Boeing 787 firm orders will be used to replace 30 Boeing 747-400 aircraft between 2017 and 2023. For Iberia, IAG reached agreement with Airbus as well as Boeing to secure commercial terms and delivery slots that could lead to firm orders for A350s and/or Boeing 787s. Firm orders will only be made when the airline is in a position to grow profitably, having restructured and reduced its cost base,” said IAG in a statement.
The company also used the opportunity of issuing its April traffic statistics to reiterate its support of lowering airport charges at London airports in the wake of proposals from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to increase Heathrow charges at inflation minus 1.3%, and set a cap at inflation plus 1% at Gatwick airport.
In response, Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, said that "Heathrow is over-priced, over-rewarded and inefficient and these proposals, which will result in an increase in prices, fail to address this situation". He added that Heathrow "is now the most expensive hub airport in the world". The CAA will make its final proposals in September 2013 with a decision on the licence conditions made in January 2014.
IAG announces its first quarter results tomorrow.
News Release IAG traffic down 5.6% in April 2013
