ALTA Member Airlines Passenger Traffic Declines 0.7% in August

Miami, October 6, 2011 – The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) announced that its member airlines carried 11.8 million passengers in August, down 0.7% from the previous year.

Despite the decline in the number of passengers carried, traffic (RPK) grew 1.1% and capacity (ASK) increased 1.0%, raising the load factor to 74.2%, 0.1 percentage points higher than in August 2010.

“Mexicana’s exit from the market continues to affect the region’s passenger growth numbers,” said Alex de Gunten, ALTA’s Executive Director. “Excluding Mexicana, passenger growth in August would be 5.0% with an increase in traffic (RPK) of 7.2% and capacity at 7.6%.”

The number of passengers carried year-to-date (January to August) increased 3.3% versus the same period of the previous year, reaching 91.9 million passengers. During the aforementioned period traffic (RPK) rose 4.6%, capacity (ASK) remained flat, and the passenger load factor reached 75.6%, 3.3 percentage points higher than the previous year.

Freight ton kilometers increased 1.5% in August and 4.2% year to date.