19/03/2002

Airline sector exhibits first signs of recovery in traffic

Tentative signs of recovery in the airline sector have been bolstered by British Airways’ decision to restore part of its transatlantic services.

From April, BA is to reinstate its transatlantic Concorde flights during the week, which will see Heathrow-US air traffic levels back to normal after the events of September 11.

However, while the company has shown a revival in economic fortune, BA confirmed there were no plans to halt a restructuring programme which will entail 13,000 redundancies

Speaking to BBC Online, a BA spokesperson said: “The job losses are part of a planned programme, designed to ensure the security of remaining employees.

“Just because our services are back to normal does not mean the number of passengers we are carrying is back to normal as well.”

The situation echoes the encouraging signs seen in the American airline industry, where many carriers are reporting increased profits for the first time since the attacks.

Airlines have managed to increase passenger numbers by reducing prices for leisure travellers, with holidaymakers now expecting to see ticket prices which are around 20-25 per cent lower than before.

However, business customers have not seen any increase in ticket prices, which suggests that firm evidence of an upturn in economic performance could be slow in coming.

The airline industry depends in part on the revenue stream from profits made from business travel – much of which is booked at the last minute and at high premium.

(CL)

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