Strong passenger growth for Jat

Jat’s numbers improve on the back of last year’s strike

Jat Airways has posted a 20% passenger increase in October compared to the same period last year. This is the biggest passenger increase in 2010, although it should be noted that in October 2009 the airline was paralysed by a weeklong Jat Tehnika strike. If charter flights are removed from the official statistic, the airline recorded passenger growth of 24%.

In October, Jat Airways carried 86.911 passengers. Its average cabin load factor stood at 58%, up by 7% on last year. The airline saw its greatest improvement on flights to and from Montenegro, with passenger numbers strengthening by 50%. The Serbian carrier also saw figures improve on Euro Mediterranean services by 21%. The number of passengers flying on Jat’s charter flights decreased by 45%, although the number of charter flights offered also decreased by 45% in October.

So far this year, the airline has carried 918.531 passengers which is still down by 2% compared to the same period last year. On the other hand, if the underperforming charter flights are not included, the airline has actually seen a passenger increase of 4% so far this year.