Straits Times, 17 Aug 2004
SIA's passenger load rises to 78%
SINGAPORE Airlines' (SIA's) business continued to grow last month during which it carried more passengers than in June as well as in July last year.
Releasing its monthly figures yesterday, the carrier said it flew 1.39 million passengers last month. In June, it sold 1.31 million seats, and in July last year, 1.17 millions.
All in, SIA filled 78 per cent of its seats last month, up from June's 75.5 per cent.
However, the cargo business dropped, pulling down its overall business, said the airline. Just 68.8 per cent of its seats and cargo space were taken up last month, lower than in June and a year earlier.
It managed 70.4 per cent in June this year and 70.9 per cent in July last year. The drop year-on-year was 2.1 percentage points.
Still, its cargo arm, SIA Cargo, has added a Boeing 747-400 freighter to its fleet, bringing the number of aircraft it has to 14.
This allows the carrier to increase the number of its flights with freight. Starting Sept 26, it will fly three times a week on the Singapore-Bangalore-Amsterdam route and the Singapore-Xiamen-Nanjing-Los Angeles route. It has two flights a week now.
Battered by a slump in travel because of Sars and the Iraq war last year, SIA recovered quickly to post a $849-million profit for the year ended March 31, after making a first-quarter loss of $312 million.