Less flights and increasing load factors (150 words)

Published: 11/14/2000

The Latvian national airline Air Baltic (51.6% state owned) has reported that it carried 179,000 passengers between January and October 2000, up 10% year-on-year. The spokeswoman for the company Vija Dzerve said the company flew 9 % less fight in the period, with an increase of seat load factor to 51.3% up 6.6 % points over the same period of 1999. In October 2000 Air Baltic carried 17,000 passengers, an increase of 2% on October 1999, but reflected the normal seasonal downturn by being carrying 8% less passengers in October than September 2000, on 5% fewer flights than in October 1999. Air Baltic's further growth will be helped by the airline taking over the Riga-Stockholm from SAS, one of the airline's major shareholders (38%) from the end of October with the introduction of the winter schedule using the airline's fleet of 3 Avro RJs and three Fokker F50s.

Article ID: 2197