Jat Posts Best Month of May Results Since 1991

May 2008 was for Jat Airways the most successful month of May since 1991.

Last month, the national flag carrier carried 116,956 passengers, a 19-percent increase on the same month last year. The cabin load factor (CLF) was 68 percent, or 11 percentage points up than in May 2007. Prior to this May, the company had recorded its highest CLF in the now distant 1990 – 66 percent.

The overall offer structure this year was expanded by about two percent compared to May 2007, while the effected sales indicators showed an approximate 30-percent rise, resulting in use factor increase. Charter traffic recorded the highest growth – 75 more flights were carried out than planned. Also, a total of 1,818 flights were performed – the same as in May last year – thereby confirming a rational approach to fleet use.

The number of passengers rose by seven percent on the lines to Montenegro, as the CLF increased by 10 percentage points. The number of passengers in the Euro-Mediterranean traffic rose 20 percent, as the CLF went up 12 percentage points. The number of charter flights increased 47 percent compared to May 2007, as the number of passengers rose 62 percent.

Jat Airways aircraft this May logged 3,184 block hours, a 2-percent increase against last year’s May. The ATR-72 aircraft surpassed by 13 percent their fight hours aggregate compared to the same month last year, the B-737-300 aircraft exceeded the plan by 15 percent and the B-737-400 doubled its targeted number of flight hours.

The average fight-hour number daily for the entire fleet in May was 8:56 block hours, thus exceeding the plan by six percent. The B-737-300 aircraft fleet logged the largest number of flight hours daily - 9:50 hours.

Jat Airways has been recording record-breaking results as regards the physical volume of traffic since the beginning of the year. In the January-May period of 2008, Jat carried 437,862 passengers, or 9 percent up against the same period last year. The CLF stood at 59 percent, having risen 5 percentage points, as the weight load factor (WLF) went up 4 percentage points.

The number of carried passengers on the lines to Montenegro rose by 13 percent, as the CLF – that stood at 57 percent - increased 10 percentage points. In the Euro-Mediterranean traffic, the number of passengers grew by 7 percent, as the CLF – that stood at 58 percent - rose 5 percentage points. Charter traffic recorded a 38-percent rise in the number of passengers.

In the first five months of this year, the Jat fleet aircraft logged a total of 14,115 flight hours, a 2-percent up on the last year’s results. The ATR-72 aircraft logged a 14-percent higher number of flight hours, and the B-737-400 surpassed the planned levels several times, as it increased by six percent the number of flight hours compared to the January-May period last year. The B-737-300 fleet also exceeded the plan.

The average number of flight hours daily for the entire fleet for the January-May 2008 period was 8:34 block hours, with the B-737-300 fleet recording the highest number of flight hours daily.