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HELSINKI, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Finnair's passenger numbers rose, but capacity usage fell in December in all geographical areas versus the year-earlier period, Finland's national carrier said on Wednesday.
Finnair said in a statement it carried 636,100 passengers last month, a 17.2 percent rise from a year ago. But the passenger load factor, a measure of how successfully it fills seats, fell 1.6 percentage points to 72.8 percent.
The group carried a record 8.15 million passengers in 2004, showing a 19 percent gain on year-ago, while the passenger load factor for the full-year rose 2.4 percentage points to 71.2 percent.
Like other airlines, Finnair has been hit by high fuel costs and it said in August it will make a loss in 2004, having previously forecast a profit.
Finnair's Scandinavian rival SAS reported on Tuesday a slight increase in December passenger traffic, but said its passenger load factor fell and repeated a cautious outlook due to fierce competition.
Finnair said in a statement it carried 636,100 passengers last month, a 17.2 percent rise from a year ago. But the passenger load factor, a measure of how successfully it fills seats, fell 1.6 percentage points to 72.8 percent.
The group carried a record 8.15 million passengers in 2004, showing a 19 percent gain on year-ago, while the passenger load factor for the full-year rose 2.4 percentage points to 71.2 percent.
Like other airlines, Finnair has been hit by high fuel costs and it said in August it will make a loss in 2004, having previously forecast a profit.
Finnair's Scandinavian rival SAS reported on Tuesday a slight increase in December passenger traffic, but said its passenger load factor fell and repeated a cautious outlook due to fierce competition.
