The SAS Group Traffic figures May 2006
• SAS Group carried 3,5 million passengers in May 2006, up 9,6% vs 2005. • SAS Group load factor for May increased 3,3 p.u. to 71,9%. • SAS Group traffic increased by 8,3% vs 2005. Group market trends and yield development SAS Group traffic increased by 8,3% in May and capacity was up 3,4%. Cabin factor increased by 3,3 p.u. to 71,9%. Number of passengers increased by 9,6%, positively affected by record number of passengers in Blue1, Spanair and airBaltic. The trend with decreasing yield being offset by improved passenger load factor continues. Yield for Scandinavian Airlines in April was 7,7% lower than last year due to Easter Holiday. Combined March and April yield change vs last year was down 0,5%. In May yield is expected to be positive vs last year due to active yield management, strong long haul yields and jet fuel compensation. The market growth is relatively stable, but there are still uncertainties in the marketplace due to the competitive situation and continued record high jet fuel prices. The strategy is to offset the increase through hedging, yield management and cost reductions. Intercontinental traffic was down in May by 7,0% due to decreased capacity. SAS Group European traffic increased by 21,6% and passenger load factor increased by 6,2 p.u. primarily due to new business models and strong growth in the group airlines. Blue1 has introduced new European destinations and traffic increased by 52,0%. Spanair continued to grow and traffic increased by 31,1%. Scandinavian Airlines Businesses • Scandinavian Airlines passenger load factor improved by 3,0 p.u. to 74,7%. • Traffic on European routes increased in May by 12,9% and cabin factor by 7,4 p.u. to 73,2%. Traffic on Intrascandinavian routes increased 11,6% and cabin factor increased 7,3 p.u. to 69,4%. For further information Please contact VP,Head of SAS Group Investor Relations Sture Stølen + 46 8 797 1451 sture.stolen@sas.se Homepage: www.sasgroup.net