Traffic in revenue passenger kilometres fell by 5.9%, comprising a 10.8% decrease in premium and a 4.8% decrease in non-premium.
Capacity in available seat kilometres, meanwhile, was just 3.1% lower year-on-year, depressing load factor by 2.2 percentage points to 74.4%.
BA said trading conditions remain broadly unchanged, with long-haul premium traffic stable and consistent with the trends of recent months. As a result, its financial guidance for the year remains unchanged.
The airline also said that, following Chancellor Alistair Darling’s recent decision to retain Air Passenger Duty, it would ‘continue to press the Government for a commitment that APD should be abolished in 2012 when aviation enters the EU emissions trading scheme’.
See also:
BA and Qantas consider merger (02/12/08)
Big two wade into APD debate (25/11/08)
BA shares boosted by improved forecast (07/11/08)
ETS ‘will lead to price hikes’ (09/07/08)