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AirFrance KLM February 2011 traffic

  • Passenger: rise in traffic (+4.9%) and stable load factor
  • Cargo: decline in traffic (-3.1%) and load factor (-3.2 points)

The month of February 2010 was impacted by adverse weather conditions and by four days of strike by French air traffic controllers, which affected medium-haul in particular, creating a favorable comparison basis.

Passenger business

Traffic rose 4.9% for capacity up by 5.1%, leading to an almost stable load factor of 77.6% (-0.1 point). The number of passengers rose 5.7% to 5.1 millions. The unfavorable geopolitical context continued to affect the Africa/Middle East region (Egypt, Ivory Coast, Sahel region, to which Libya must now be added) and the Europe/North Africa region (Tunisia). Unit revenue per available seat kilometer (RASK) excluding currency was stable compared with February 2010.

  • On the Americas network, traffic and capacity rose by 2.8% and 5.1% respectively. The load factor declined by 1.7 points to 78.3%.
  • The Asia network was affected by the Chinese New Year celebrations. Nevertheless, activity remained dynamic with traffic up 6.3%. With capacity up 8.1%, the load factor declined by 1.5 points to 84.6%.
  • The Africa and Middle East network recorded a rise in traffic of 1.4% for capacity up 2.5%. As a result, the load factor declined by 0.8 points to 74.6%.
  • The Caribbean and Indian Ocean network remained robust with traffic up 6.0% for capacity up by 4.0%. The load factor therefore gained 1.6 points to 85.6%.
  • On the medium-haul network, traffic was up by 8.8% for capacity up by 4.3%. The load factor rose by 2.8 points to 66.4%.

Cargo business

The Chinese New Year had a negative effect on traffic due to the closure of factories in Asia and the subsequent progressive recovery of associated activity. Traffic therefore declined by 3.1% for capacity up by 1.5%. The load factor stood at 67.6% (-3.2 points). Unit revenue per available ton kilometer (RATK) rose in comparison with February 2010.

Recent developments

  • For the Summer 2011 season, Air France-KLM plans a capacity increase of 5.7% compared with Summer 2010. Eight new routes will enhance the Asia, Americas and Africa networks.
  • The Airbus A380 has been a great success since it went into service in November 2009, welcoming no fewer than 800,000 passengers on the four aircraft in the Air France fleet.
  • On March 1st Air France Industries KLM E&M signed a maintenance and engine support contract for the GE90 engines which equip the Boeing B777-300 ERs of Philippine Airways.
  • KLM announced the opening of the Amsterdam-Buenos Aires and Amsterdam-Havana routes as of 31st October 2011.