Icelandic carrier PLAY recorded $32.7 million in revenue in Q1 2023, up from $9.6 million in the first quarter of 2022.
The revenue increase came as passenger traffic increased four-fold year-on-year to 212,000, with a load factor of 78.4% reported by the airline.
Despite revenue per passenger being up by 25% and record ticket sales, the airline recorded a loss of $17.2 million for the period.
Forward bookings remain strong, however, with PLAY set to fly to 37 destinations in 2023, 13 more than in 2022.
“The first quarter of the year is always challenging in the aviation business with low demand and yields and relatively high costs due to various preparations for the all-important summer season," said chief executive Birgir Jónsson, who added that the results were as expected.
"We see very positive signs for the year as our booking flow is very strong, costs are under control and major external factors such as oil prices have been developing positively," the chief executive added, pointing to the airline's recording of positive cash flow at the first quarter, which she described as "an important achievement for a young airline in a ramp-up phase".