Air NZ passengers up 5pc in April

Passenger numbers on Air NZ were up 5pc last month. Photo / Martin Sykes

Air New Zealand carried 5 per cent more passengers in April than in the same month last year, with a jump in short-haul volumes helping to offset a dip in international numbers.

The national carrier transported 1.01 million passengers in the month, with revenue passenger kilometres, a measure of demand, up 2.9 per cent, according to the airline's monthly operating statistics. Capacity, or available seat kilometres, decreased 2.9 per cent, and load factor increased 2.9 percentage points.

The April increase follows an 8 per cent decline in passenger numbers in March when volumes dropped sharply in the wake of the February earthquake in Christchurch and March earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Short haul passenger numbers rose 5.9 per cent compared to the same month last year, with demand in the domestic market up 7 per cent. Load factors increased 2.1 percentage points to 82.1 per cent on a capacity increase of 4.2 per cent.

Revenue passenger kilometres on the Tasman and Pacific routes rose 9.8 per cent on April 2010, after capacity was increased by 8.3 per cent. Load factor increased by 1.1 percentage points in the month.

That comes ahead of the November launch of Air NZ's new trans-Tasman routes, which it will operate with Australian partner Virgin Blue Airlines. The alliance will connect the local airline's domestic network of 26 airports to Virgin's 31 domestic airports.

The improved domestic number contrast with a decline in international volumes, with long haul passenger numbers falling 1.7 per cent in April compared to the same month last year, reflecting the lingering effects of the Christchurch earthquake on international volumes.

Demand on Asia/Japan/UK routes slumped 10.8 per cent in the month, with capacity falling 13.1 per cent, while load factor increased by 2.1 percentage points to 79.2 per cent.

On North America/UK routes demand increased by 4.5 per cent in April compared the same month in the previous year, and capacity was decreased by 1.6 per cent. Load factor rose by 5 percentage points to 84.6 per cent.

Group-wide yields for the financial year to date rose 1.2 per cent compared to the same period last year. That reflected a 2.8 per cent decline in short haul yields partly due to the new seats to suit product, while long haul yields rose by 4.3 per cent. Removing the impact of foreign exchange, Group-wide yields were up 3.7 per cent.

Air New Zealand shares fell 0.9 per cent to $1.11 today, and have declined 25.3 per cent