SANTIAGO, Chile--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LAN Airlines S.A. and its subsidiaries, (“LAN” or “the Company”) (NYSE: LFL / IPSA: LAN), one of the leading airlines in Latin America, today reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics and punctuality indicators for October 2011.
During October, system passenger traffic increased 5.5% as capacity rose 9.6%. As a result, the Company’s load factor for the month decreased 3.1 points to 80.4%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 66.8% of total passenger traffic. Starting in January 2011, these figures include AIRES’ domestic and international operations.
Domestic passenger traffic in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia rose 18.8% as capacity increased 21.3%. As a consequence, the domestic passenger load factor in October decreased 1.7 points to 79.0%. International passenger traffic showed no variations, while capacity increased 4.4%. Accordingly, the international passenger load factor for the month decreased 3.6 points to 81.2%.
During October, cargo traffic rose 12.5% as capacity increased 12.2%. As a consequence, the cargo load factor increased 0.2 points to 71.3%. Traffic and capacity grew due to the arrival of three new Boeing 767F freighters between November 2010 and January 2011. These aircraft have been assigned to boost growth in the Latin American, United States West Coast and Mexican markets.
During October, 81.6% of the Company’s total flights left on time based on a fifteen-minute standard (all departures leaving within fifteen minutes of the scheduled departure time are considered as “on-time”). This represented a decrease of 3.8 points compared to October 2010.
About LAN
LAN Airlines is one of the leading passenger and cargo airlines in Latin America. The company and its affiliates serve over 76 destinations around the world through an extensive network that offers full connectivity within Latin America, while also linking the region with North America, Europe and the South Pacific, as well as 93 additional international destinations through its various code share agreements. LAN Airlines and its affiliates have a leading position in their respective domestic markets of Chile and Peru as well as an important presence in the Argentinean and Ecuadorian domestic markets. Furthermore, in November 2010, LAN acquired Colombian airline AIRES.
Currently, LAN Airlines and its affiliates operate 130 passenger aircraft while LAN Cargo and its respective affiliates have a fleet of 14 dedicated freighters. The Company has one of the youngest fleets in the world which has meant greater efficiency and a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, reflecting its strong commitment to the protection of the environment.
LAN is one of the few Investment Grade airlines in the world (BBB). The company’s world class quality standards enabled its membership in oneworld™, an alliance of leading global airlines of which LAN has been a member for 10 years. For more information please visit www.lan.com or www.oneworldalliance.com