Air NZ long-haul passenger volumes weaken for 10th month

Air New Zealand’s long-haul passenger volumes fell for a 10th straight month, led by a continued slump on routes that link Japan and Asia with the UK as fears about swine flu and generally weak global demand reduced ticket sales.

The national carrier’s long-haul passenger numbers fell 14% in June from a year earlier to 148,000, the company said in a statement today. Short-haul fell 4%, and total passengers carried fell 5.5% to 1.1 million.

“Influenza A continued to soften demand out of Japan,” the airline said.

New Zealand has 2,525 cases of swine flu and 11 deaths attributed to the virus with three more under investigation. In response to dwindling demand for flights, the airline reduced capacity by 12.3% in June from a year earlier, helping lift its overall load factor by 2 points.

Shares in the carrier were unchanged at 98 cents today and have fallen 1% this year.

Businesswire.co.nz

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