Finnair’s traffic report for November shows an increase in passenger traffic numbers year-on-year, with an expected seasonal decline month-on-month.
In November 2023, Finnair saw a growth of 8.1% in passenger numbers compared to the previous year. However, passenger numbers decreased by 11.8% compared to October 2023, expected as seasonal demand is typically lower in winter. It’s also important to note that the month-on-month figures may not be fully comparable due to one less day in November.
The airline attributes the improvement in November passenger traffic to the fading impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and adjusting to the closure of Russian airspace. The reported distance-based traffic figures do not account for longer routings caused by the airspace closure, as they are based on the Great Circle distance.
Finnair Capacity
Regarding capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), Finnair reports a 14.4% year-on-year increase in November. However, the airline decreased capacity by 7.4% compared to October of this year.
Looking at specific routes, the ASK for Asian traffic increased by 20.5% year-on-year, driven by additional capacity to Japan and South Korea. The North Atlantic capacity decreased by 3.2%. European traffic saw an increase of 11.9% in ASKs. The Middle Eastern capacity grew significantly by 27.8%, as the Helsinki-Doha flights, part of the Qatar Airways cooperation, commenced in mid-December 2022. Domestic traffic saw a 5.6% increase in ASKs.
Finnair Seats Sold
Revenue Passenger kilometers (RPKs), which measure Finnair’s traffic, increased by 13.6% year-on-year but declined by 14.9% month-on-month. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) declined by 0.5% year-on-year and 6.3% month-on-month, reaching 71.0% in November.
RPKs increased by 25.9% in Asian traffic but decreased by 7.0% in North Atlantic traffic. European traffic increased 6.1% in RPKs, while Middle Eastern traffic grew 35.4%. Domestic traffic saw a slight increase of 1.7% in RPKs.
The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) for November was 71.2% for Asian traffic, 63.8% for North Atlantic traffic, 73.8% for European traffic, 68.7% for Middle Eastern traffic, and 65.6% for domestic traffic.
In terms of passenger numbers, Asian traffic saw a 22.3% increase year-on-year, while North Atlantic traffic experienced a decrease of 6.5%. European traffic grew by 7.3% in passenger numbers, Middle Eastern traffic saw a significant increase of 32.2%, and domestic traffic slightly increased by 0.3%.
Finnair Cargo
Cargo figures for November increased in many areas, thanks to the cooperation with Qatar Airways and increased capacity in Asian traffic. Available cargo tonne kilometers increased by 24.8% year-on-year, while revenue cargo tonne kilometers increased by 21.0%. The total cargo tonnes increased by 20.5% year-on-year, but decreased by 3.2% compared to the previous month due to the shorter duration of November.
Punctuality
79.3% of all Finnair flights arrived on time in November, compared to 86.8% in the previous year.
Finnair will publish traffic statistics for December 2023 on Friday, 5 January 2024.
Finnair Traffic November 2023 (Tables)
| Finnair Traffic Performance November 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | % Change | YTD | % Change | |
| Total traffic | ||||
| Passengers 1,000 | 811.9 | 8.1 | 10,105.1 | 22.3 |
| Available seat kilometers mill | 2,859.2 | 14.4 | 33,052.5 | 16.3 |
| Revenue passenger kilometers mill | 2,029.2 | 13.6 | 25,426.2 | 33.4 |
| Passenger load factor % | 71.0 | – 0.5p | 76.9 | 9.8p |
| Cargo tonnes total | 12,152.6 | 20.5 | 122,785.9 | 9.7 |
| Available tonne kilometers mill | 422.5 | 19.2 | 4,771.8 | 14.9 |
| Revenue tonne kilometers mill | 256.5 | 15.8 | 3,012.3 | 24.2 |
| Asia | ||||
| Passengers 1,000 | 104.0 | 22.3 | 1,182.0 | 83.9 |
| Available seat kilometers mill | 1,108.0 | 20.5 | 11,525.5 | 46.2 |
| Revenue passenger kilometers mill | 788.9 | 25.9 | 8,920.5 | 85.4 |
| Passenger load factor % | 71.2 | 3.0p | 77.4 | 16.4p |
| Europe | ||||
| Passengers 1,000 | 495.2 | 7.3 | 6,599.3 | 14.2 |
| Available seat kilometers mill | 1,084.9 | 11.9 | 13,664.7 | 8.2 |
| Revenue passenger kilometers mill | 800.2 | 6.1 | 10,809.3 | 14.0 |
| Passenger load factor % | 73.8 | – 4.1p | 79.1 | 4.0p |
| North Atlantic | ||||
| Passengers 1,000 | 22.4 | – 6.5 | 368.7 | – 25.1 |
| Available seat kilometers mill | 269.6 | – 3.2 | 3,842.3 | – 39.9 |
| Revenue passenger kilometers mill | 171.9 | – 7.0 | 2,796.8 | – 24.3 |
| Passenger load factor % | 63.8 | – 2.6p | 72.8 | 15.0p |
| Middle East | ||||
| Passengers 1,000 | 39.4 | 32.2 | 451.4 | 493.6 |
| Available seat kilometers mill | 259.7 | 27.8 | 2,787.1 | 539.9 |
| Revenue passenger kilometers mill | 178.4 | 35.4 | 2,012.0 | 553.1 |
| Passenger load factor % | 68.7 | 3.9p | 72.2 | 1.5p |
| Domestic | ||||
| Passengers 1,000 | 150.9 | 0.3 | 1,503.7 | 18.2 |
| Available seat kilometers mill | 136.9 | 5.6 | 1,233.0 | 14.0 |
| Revenue passenger kilometers mill | 89.8 | 1.7 | 887.7 | 16.2 |
| Passenger load factor % | 65.6 | – 2.6p | 72.0 | 1.3p |
| Cargo traffic | ||||
| – Europe tonnes | 1,982.0 | 23.5 | 21,535.8 | 12.4 |
| – North Atlantic tonnes | 1,195.8 | – 10.9 | 13,755.8 | – 52.9 |
| – Middle East tonnes | 2,018.5 | 37.1 | 20,673.9 | 666.1 |
| – Asia tonnes | 6,887.8 | 23.3 | 66,271.2 | 28.7 |
| – Domestic tonnes | 26.3 | – 26.1 | 313.5 | – 3.8 |
| – Cargo flights tonnes* | 42.3 | 11.1 | 235.7 | – 97.4 |
| Cargo traffic tonnes total | 12,152.6 | 20.5 | 122,785.9 | 9.7 |
| Available cargo tonne kilometers** mill | 122.5 | 24.8 | 1,310.6 | 12.4 |
| Revenue cargo tonne kilometers mill | 75.0 | 21.0 | 738.4 | 2.3 |
| Cargo load factor** % | 61.2 | – 2.0p | 56.3 | – 5.5p |
| ** Including purchased traffic* |
Definitions and Notes
*** Based on average operational cargo capacity*
- Change %: Change compared to the figures of the respective periods in the previous year (p = points, N/A = not available).
- Available seat kilometres.ASK: Total number of seats available multiplied by kilometers flown.
- Revenue passenger kilometres.RPK: Number of revenue passengers carried multiplied by kilometers flown.
- Passenger load factor: Share of revenue passenger kilometers of available seat kilometers.
- Available tonne kilometres. ATK: Number of tonnes of capacity for carriage of passengers, cargo, and mail multiplied by kilometers flown.
- Revenue tonne kilometres. RTK: Total revenue load consisting of passengers, cargo, and mail multiplied by kilometers flown.
