The SAS Group Traffic figures March 2013

SAS Group's March 2013 traffic figures
• SAS Group’s capacity (ASK) was up by 0.5% and the Group’s traffic (RPK) increased by 0.5%.
• The SAS Group’s load factor was unchanged at 72.3%
• SAS Group carried 2.3 million passengers in March, down 5.8%, reflecting the impact of Easter timing and capacity reductions on shorter routes.

Group market trends, RASK and yield development
The traffic continued to grow well during March, but was negatively affected by Easter when the traffic program was reduced, particularly on shorter routes. The underlying development continued to be in line with expectations.

Currency adjusted yield (Scandinavian Airlines) in February 2013 was up 0.8% versus previous year and RASK was down 0.2%, as expected. In March 2013 the change in yield and RASK vs. last year are expected to be negative due to the timing of Easter.

Overall, the market demand continues to be good. Despite yield has been somewhat more stable in recent months, the over capacity on certain routes adds uncertainty to the yield and RASK outlook going forward and the SAS Group expects a negative trend for the RASK and yield for the full year 2012/13. The capacity increase for 2012/13 is expected to be approximately 5-6%.