Figures reflect reduction of flights (168 words)

Published: 5/25/2001

British Airways (BA) has reported that, between 1st April 2000 and 31st March 2001, it carried 23,784 passengers on the Riga-London route: a fall of 27%, compared to the same period in 1999-2000. BA attributes the fall to the reduction of flights from London to Riga from seven to four a week. It justifies the cuts in flight frequencies on the basis that these were allied to pessimistic forecasts of passenger traffic development at Riga Airport during the period. The airline's seat load factor on the Riga-London route was 80%, partly reflecting the fall in the number of flights, although BA reports that the load factor continued to rise when it added an extra flight in the period. According to BA, despite the reduction in flights, it remains the leading transatlantic carrier in the Latvian market, with around 25% of passengers coming from Riga to change planes in London for further destinations in the USA.

Article ID: 2559