SIA Group passenger traffic up 11.7% in December on travel relaxations

A combined 2.7mi passengers flew on Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot in December, marking an 11.7% month-on-month increase. Group passenger traffic and load factors remained robust across all route regions including East Asia, said SIA Group in a bourse filing on Monday. In Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan, the demand for air travel was boosted by the relaxation of travel restrictions. Group passenger capacity was 6.9% higher in December compared to the prior month, reaching 80% of pre-Covid levels. The group recorded its highest monthly passenger load factor in December, with PLF coming in 3.8 percentage points higher month on month at 89.7%. Year on year, PLF improved by 43.2 percentage points. SIA and Scoot posted record monthly PLFs of 89.1% and 91.6%, respectively. The group, however, experienced weaker cargo demand. Cargo operations had a load factor of 54.3%, 24.5 percentage points lower year on year. Loads fell by 18.9% from the year before, while capacity expanded by 17.7% as increased passenger services resulted in higher bellyhold capacity. Scoot resumed flights to Zhengzhou in December, while SIA restarted fortnightly passenger services from Singapore to Beijing on Dec 30. SIA Group’s passenger network covered 111 destinations in 36 countries and territories as at end-December. SIA served 76 destinations, while Scoot served 57 destinations. Loads fell by 18.9% from the year before, while capacity expanded by 17.7% as increased passenger services resulted in higher bellyhold capacity.<br/>