International passenger traffic falls at end-June

INTERNATIONAL passenger traffic flow in the Philippines dipped in the first six months of the year as airlines reduced capacity amid the Influenza A(H1N1) scare and the global economic downturn, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said Wednesday.

Data from CAB showed that international passenger traffic dropped by 0.47 percent to 6.26 million from January to June compared with 6.29 million in the same period last year.

Of the total, incoming passengers were down by 0.33 percent to 3.01 million, while outgoing passengers stood at 3.25 million from 3.27 million.

Of the 43 carriers with authority to fly in and out of the country, only 32 airlines operated during the period. CAB said Air Nauru, Aeroflot, Air France, Vietnam Airlines, Canadian Airlines and British Airways ceased flying to the Philippines in 2001 followed by Swissair, Egyptair, Air France and P.T. Bouraq in 2004.

The country’s flag carrier, Philippine Airlines (PAL), flew 1.74 million passengers, down by 9.38 percent from 1.92 million passengers in the same period last year. PAL’s incoming passenger traffic stood at 821,658 while outgoing passengers reached 918,485.

Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, carried 797,521, up by 18.72 percent from 671,738 passengers a year ago. Of the total, incoming passengers stood at 379,943 and outgoing passengers at 417,578.

Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAIR) flew 222 passengers from January to June this year.

Porvenir Porciuncula, CAB’s deputy executive director and head of economic planning, said impact of the A(H1N1) and the global economic crisis to local airlines was minimal.

“We hope the second half will be better,” he said.

Other airlines that posted a decline in the number of passengers carried during the period were Cathay Pacific Airways from 741,974 last year to 735,817; Singapore Airlines from 286,954 to 272,006; Northwest Airlines from 264,027 to 233,670; Korean Air from 227,616 to 196,507 and Japan Airlines from 222,606 to 215,476.

Other airlines which recorded a drop in passengers were Emirates Air from 217,762 to 226,800; Thai Airways from 182,665 to 147,948 and China Airlines from 147,984 to 141,781.

While international air travel posted a slight decline, domestic air passenger traffic expanded by 30 percent to 7.59 million from January to June from 5.82 million in the same period last year, the CAB earlier reported.

The industry’s load factor—the number of seats occupied during a flight— inched up to 76.6 percent in the first half form 75.6 percent in the same period in 2008.

The total number of seats of the five airline companies reached 9.38 million from January to June over last year’s 7.29 million.

These airlines include PAL, Cebu Pacific, Zest Air, Air Philippines and SEAIR. — Darwin G. Amojelar, Manila Times