Icelandair reports the number of passengers increased by 8% in September. Plus, 10% improvement in on-time performance.
Icelandair transported 416 thousand passengers in September, an 8% increase since September last year. The Company has transported around 3.4 million passengers, 19% more than in the same period last year.
In September, passengers traveling to Iceland numbered 175 thousand, from Iceland 49 thousand, via-Iceland passengers numbered 169 thousand, and passengers traveling within Iceland numbered 23 thousand.
The load factor was 82.7%, and unit revenue continued to improve year-on-year. Passenger traffic in RPK increased 11% to 1,277 for September. The airline’s capacity in ASK increased by 12% to 1,548.
Icelandair’s on-time performance for the month was 81%, improving significantly by ten percentage points year-on-year.
Icelandair’s cargo operations also improved despite recent challenges in the sector. The airline reported 15,852 FTKs (freight tonne kilometers), a 50% increase over 10,544 last year.
Icelandair On Track for a Profitable Year
Based on July and August’s recently released management accounts, Icelandair is demonstrating robust financial performance, specifically in its passenger and leasing divisions. This positive trend is expected to result in a total revenue of approximately USD 1.5 billion, with an estimated EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) ranging between USD 50-65 million. This EBIT would represent approximately 3.3-4.3% of the total revenue.
Voted Best European Airline at Danish Travel Awards
Icelandair won Best European Airline at the 2023 Danish Travel Awards held last Wednesday evening, October 4, in Cirkusbygningen, Copenhagen.
The Danish Travel Awards are an annual event celebrating the best in tourism and aviation. Nominations are made in collaboration with BARID, Denmark’s Board of Airline Representatives. The winners are then selected using a variety of ratings from the Danish Transport Authority and Danish airports. A survey of 3,000 Danish travelers conducted by Epinion then gathers consumer ratings. The award is given to those companies that consistently provide outstanding service and create memorable experiences for their customers. Three airlines competed in the finals in the airline category: Icelandair, KLM, and Finnair.
Tómas Ingason, Director of Revenue, Service, and Marketing said of the award:
“We are very proud and humbled to receive this award. The recognition is first and foremost a reflection of the achievements of Icelandair’s employees and our partners. Together, we strive to provide customers with first-class service and a unique travel experience every day. This recognition is no end point, but an encouragement to do even better in the future.”
Bogi Nils Bogason, Icelandair CEO Comments:
“We are pleased to see a healthy increase in passenger numbers between years and continued improvement in unit revenue as we close the strong third quarter, the largest quarter in our history in terms of number of flights. I would like to thank our employees for their great work and dedication during the busy summer period.
“We are also proud to have received two awards for our great team’s efforts in offering world-class passenger service. In September, Icelandair was rated a 2024 Five Star Major Airline at the APEX Global EXPO, and this week, we received the Danish Travel Awards as Best European Airline. We are grateful to our passengers for their loyalty of continuing to choose Icelandair.”