China Eastern Airlines' passenger traffic rose sharply in August primarily due to the domestic market.
Total RPKs rose 44%, with domestic RPKs up 58%. The international RPKs were 21% higher and regional RPKs - referring to Hong Kong and Macau - rose 2%, says the Star Alliance member.
Capacity, as measured by ASKs, rose 29% year-on-year across its network. Domestic ASKs increased 40% and international ASKs rose 9%, but regional ASKs fell 7%.
Total passenger numbers rose 51% to 4.4 million thanks to a 59% rise in domestic passenger numbers to 3.8 million. International passenger numbers increased 14% to 409,000 and regional passenger numbers rose 6% to 186,000.
China Eastern's domestic passenger load factor increased 8.6 percentage points to 79%. The international load factor was up 7.4 percentage points to 74.2% and regional up 6.6 percentage points to 77.7%.
China Eastern's cargo traffic rose 5% thanks to a 26% rise in domestic cargo traffic. The international traffic was flat with a 0.2% rise and regional fell 22%.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
