August 26, 2003, Moscow. – Aeroflot-Russian Airlines Board has summed up the company’s operating results for August and seven months of 2003.

In July Aeroflot carried 631,900 passengers (including 12,200 passengers of charter flights) and 9,400 tons of post and freight. There were made 1.874 billion passenger-kilometers and 217.4mln ton-kilometers.

Activity capacity increased during July of 2003 compared with the last year: according to passenger-kilometers – by 2.3%, according to ton-kilometers – by 2.6%, according to carriage of passengers – by 7.3%, according to post carriage – by 8.0%, according to freight carriage – by 3.0%. At the expense of reducing average range ability carriage of passengers raised by 5.0% on the international air lines (IAL) and by 12.4% on the home air lines (HAL).

They have flown in the aircraft fleet (AF) on the whole by 2.7% hours more than last year. At the same time AF passenger types have flown by 2.1% hours more and freight types by 23.5% more. The average daily fly of hours per an average AF plane amounted to 6.7 hours (in 2002 it was 5.6 hours) in the aircraft fleet on the whole, and per a properly functioning plane – 10.4 hours, that is by 0.6% more than in 2002. The highest average daily fly of hours was reached by Boeing 767 – 16.9 hours.

Percentage of enplaned traffic for the month amounted to 58.4% in July, it increased by 3.3% compared with the last year level. Passenger seats’ occupation rate amounted to 74.1% and exceeded the June rate by 5.4%. Aeroflot passenger carriage raised on the whole by 9.3% or by 27,400 passengers in comparison with the last year.

During seven months of 2003 the airline company carried 3.178mln passengers and 60,100 tons of post and freight. There were made 9.794 billion passenger-kilometers and 1.198 billion ton-kilometers. Operating income increased by 2.9% during seven months of 2003 vs. the same period of 2002.

According to Aeroflot Director General Valery Okulov, the airline company succeeded in overcoming negative consequences of the war in Iraq and SARS that had affected Aeroflot operating results in the first half of 2003. “Thanks to urgent measures on reducing expenses the airline company’s financial results for seven months were successfully held on the level of the last year in spite of the global crisis of air carriages”, Mr. Okulov said.