HELSINKI, 10 March 2022: Finnair reports improvements in passenger traffic figures year-on-year, but figures remained close to January 2022 levels due to the Omicron impact.
In February, Finnair carried 443,000 passengers, which was 407.5% more than in February 2021. The number of passengers in February 2022 was 1.8% less than in January 2022 (month-on-month figures are not fully comparable as there were three fewer days in February).
The Covid-19 impact, including the strict travel restrictions imposed by several countries due to the Omicron variant, still affected all passenger traffic figures.
It was evident in the North Atlantic and Asian figures even though travel from both Finland and Sweden to the US. Thailand opened in November, increasing the number of passengers carried by Finnair. The impact of the crisis in Ukraine was not yet visible in February figures.
The overall capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), increased in February by 473.4% year-on-year but decreased by 11.8% month-on-month. Finnair operated, on average, 196 daily flights (cargo-only included), which was 154.5% more than in February 2021 but 6.2% less than in January 2022.
The differences between capacity figures compared to February 2021 are explained by the longer average stage length of flights operated and by the larger gauge of aircraft operated.
Finnair’s traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs), increased by 845.6% year-on-year but declined by 14.1% month-on-month. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) increased by 17.3% points to 43.9% year-on-year but decreased by 1.2% points month-on-month.
The ASK increase in Asian traffic was 249.2% year-on-year. In European traffic, the ASKs were up by 560.8%. The ASKs in domestic traffic increased by 119.7%.
RPKs increased in Asian traffic by 951.5%, in European traffic by 955.6% and in domestic traffic by 172.7% year-on-year.
The PLF was 32.4% in Asian traffic and 25.3% in North Atlantic traffic but both were supported by strong cargo operations. The PLF was 63.8% in European traffic and 73.6% in domestic traffic.
Passenger numbers increased in Asian traffic by 950.7%, in European traffic by 602.1% and in domestic traffic by 167.0% year-on-year.
In North Atlantic traffic, ASK, RPK, and passenger number growth rates year-on-year cannot be calculated as there were no passenger flights in February 2021.
