SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) Group reported a 10.8 per cent increase in passenger capacity in August, outpacing the 7.7 per cent growth in passenger traffic recorded that month.
The national carrier and its low-cost arm Scoot flew a total of 3.3 million passengers in August, up 9.4 per cent from the year before, according to the group’s latest operating update released on Monday (Sep 16).
Group passenger load factor clocked in at 85.7 per cent, with SIA and Scoot posting monthly load factors of 84.9 per cent and 88.8 per cent, respectively. The passenger load factor measures how much the airline’s passenger capacity has been utilised. It is calculated by dividing the airline’s revenue passenger kilometres by its available seat kilometres.
Cargo operations saw a load factor of 56.1 per cent, up 4.9 percentage points from a year ago.
Cargo loads increased by 20.9 per cent on year on the back of “sustained strength in e-commerce flows and some demand spillover from disruptions to sea freight”, said SIA. Meanwhile, cargo capacity expanded 10.4 per cent.
As at end-August, SIA Group’s passenger network covered 125 destinations in 36 countries and territories. SIA served 78 destinations, while Scoot served 69 destinations.
The group’s cargo network comprised 129 destinations in 37 countries and territories.