PLAY carried 184,926 passengers in August, which is a 70% increase from August 2022 when the airline carried 108,622 passengers. The load factor in August 2023 was 88.9%, compared to 86.9% load factor in August 2022, and PLAY had an on-time performance of 90.1%.
Of all passengers flying with PLAY in August 2023, 22.1% were departing from Iceland, 35% were traveling to Iceland, and 42.9% were connecting passengers (VIA).
PLAY said that August saw strong performance in its network with many destinations delivering over 90% load factor and some, including Prague, Toronto and Barcelona, performing at over 95% load factor.
Average ancillary revenue continues to rise for PLAY, being 33% higher in August 2023 compared to August 2022, and the trend is looking robust for the coming months.
PLAY has stated that it continues to see many opportunities to grow in the market and is working on expanding its fleet of aircraft. The airline has already signed two Letters of Intent, securing two brand-new A320neos, which will enter service in time for the summer season of 2025. Further negotiations are “ongoing” for added capacity in 2024 and 2025 said PLAY.
PLAY has reported robust demand from key markets but adds that it is cautious about the possible impact of inflation and the increased cost of living on the demand in the winter months, which is hindering visibility into the fourth quarter and further into the winter.
As PLAY has previously stated, the financial performance this year has largely been in line with management expectations and forecasts that have assumed a narrow but positive operating margin (EBIT) for the full year of 2023.
Birgir Jonsson CEO, commented: “August was an excellent operational month for PLAY with an impressive 89% load factor and a world-class 90% on-time performance. We are getting close to the end of the summer season, but it is already clear that we can be very proud of our operational performance so far this year. We continue to see many opportunities for future growth and we have therefore begun planning our growth for the coming years. We have now confirmed two brand-new A320neo aircraft, which will join our fleet in 2025, as well as being in negotiations for further capacity increases in the near future. It is good that we are still seeing higher yields than last year and a significantly higher load factor going into the more challenging winter months, and the demand going forward looks relatively robust in most markets. We will continue to focus on keeping our cost base as low as possible and being flexible in our network to adapt to this dynamic environment.”