The number of Icelandair’s passengers to Iceland increased by 11% in December 2019 the airline has reported this week. It says passengers on the home market from Iceland increased in December by 8%, thanks mostly due to the lack of competition from the now-defunct WOW air. However, worryingly the number of via passengers decreased by 9% which is what brings in the strong year-round income the carrier replies on.
The total number of Icelandair’s passengers was around 267 thousand in December 2019, increasing by 1%. The load factor on Icelandair’s flights was 80.7% in December compared to 79.6% in the same period in 2018. The total capacity decreased by 2%.
On-time performance in the Icelandair’s route network in December 2019 improved year-on-year, increasing to 80.0% from 73.7%. This was achieved as a result of a number of measures taken to improve on-time performance despite the impact of the suspension of Boeing 737 MAX on the flight schedule.
The number of passengers on domestic and regional flights was almost 18 thousand in December 2019, decreasing by 8%. The load factor increased to 69.8% from 60.0% in December 2018. The number of sold block hours in charter flights increased by 4% and freight decreased by 6%. The number of sold room nights at Icelandair Hotels was down by 4% with room occupancy at 63.6% compared to 66.9% in the same period last year.
Icelandair has never carried more passengers on international flights than in 2019. The total number of passengers was over 4.4 million, a 6% increase. The load factor in 2019 was 82.0%. The number of Icelandair’s passengers to Iceland increased by 25%, amounting to almost 1.9 million. The number of passengers from Iceland increased by 18% and the number of via passengers decreased by 9%. The total number of passengers on domestic and regional flights was around 282 thousand, decreasing by 12%. Sold block hours on charter flights decreased by 11% and freight was up by 6%. The number of sold room nights at Icelandair Hotels for the full year was up 5% and room occupancy was 79.9% compared with 80.1% in 2018 which sounds good but hasn't stopped the group selling most of the hotel division.
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