Stable passenger volumes and an all-time cargo record for Viking Line
The number of passengers who travelled with Viking Line in 2019 was 6,300,480. In 2018, the corresponding figure was 6,411,537. Rosella, which sails between Mariehamn and Kapellskär, set an all-time record in 2019, with 752,336 passengers. Traffic between Helsinki and Tallinn also increased. The volume decrease in 2019 can primarily be attributed to cruise traffic between Stockholm and Mariehamn, with results affected by longer special cruises during the summer and fewer departures due to dry-docking. During the year, the ambition was to monitor and optimize ticket prices, which also had an impact on the volume trend. The number of cargo units increased during the year to 133,940 (128,549), which is an all-time record. The number of passenger cars was the second best ever, at 714,006 (704,799).
Traffic on the routes
On the Turku–Åland Islands–Stockholm route, passenger volume on Viking Grace and Amorella was 1,801,692 (1,858,880).
A total of 1,955,318 (1,947,952) passengers sailed between Helsinki and Tallinn. During the summer, a new passenger record of more than 600,000 passengers was set on M/S Viking XPRS. Mariella and Gabriella also served the route along with Viking XPRS from June 14 to August 11, 2019.
During the year, 971,968 (969,307) passengers sailed on the Helsinki–Mariehamn–Stockholm route, which is served by Mariella and Gabriella. During the summer, 6,471 (7,313) passengers also sailed from Stockholm via Åland and Helsinki to Tallinn.
On the short route over the Sea of Åland, Mariehamn–Kapellskär, passenger volume on Rosella increased to 752,336 (732,965). That passenger number is an all-time record. A good trend can be seen here for passengers with cars and Swedish cruise passengers.
Passenger volume during the year for Viking Cinderella’s cruises from Stockholm to Mariehamn was 804,143 (894,520). The volume decrease was partly due to longer special cruises to Visby (8,552) during the summer and to fewer departures because of dry-docking in January.
“In 2019, we saw stable, somewhat lower passenger volumes. In particular, the Kapellskär and Tallinn routes showed good passenger growth. Capacity utilization on the routes between Sweden and Finland was stable while passenger volume on the day cruises between Sweden and Åland decreased, partly as a result of fewer departures and a larger number of longer special cruises, including the summer’s Visby cruises. In a highly competitive market, passenger-related sales rose mainly due to a good ticket sales trend. There has continued to be tough competition over prices, which benefits our passengers,” says Peter Hellgren, Viking Line’s Deputy CEO.
For further information, please contact:
Peter Hellgren, Deputy CEO, Marketing and Sales, peter.hellgren@vikingline.com, tel. +46 8 452 4100
Jan Hanses, President and CEO, jan.hanses@vikingline.com, tel. +358 18 27 000
Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, Senior Vice President Corporate Communications, johanna.boijer@vikingline.com, tel. +358 18 27 000
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