National company TAROM, the leading air operator on the domestic market, posted turnover worth 56 million euros (84 million dollars) in the first quarter of the year, up 25% (in dollars) compared with the same time last year, company officials revealed.
The first quarter of the year was also the slowest as far as airlines are concerned, as they derive the majority of capital during the summer and winter holidays.
The growth TAROM posted for the first three months is in line with this year's estimates, after the airline budgeted turnover worth 437 million dollars (276 million euros), up 25% on 2008. The results were made possible by the higher number of aircraft and of passengers, after the higher capacity generated a 4% decline in load.
"The load of the regular flights in the first quarter of the year stood at 58%, compared with 62% during the corresponding period in 2007, after a new Airbus A318-100 aircraft and two Airbus A310 were added to the TAROM fleet," TAROM officials explained. The airline operator saw a 27% increase in the number of passengers in the first three months of the year, and reached a total of 412,000 passengers.
Out of the around 300 weekly flights, 10% are to Spanish destinations, such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.
The operator will introduce four new flights this summer, three of which are international ones, which depart from Cluj to Barcelona and London, and from Bucharest to Frankfurt, as well as a domestic flight to Tulcea. The company will also increase the frequency of flights on the Cluj-Madrid route, from five to seven flights a week.
In 2007, TAROM registered one of its best years of late, posting a 30% increase in the number of passengers carried, and an over 67% load.
Turnover exceeded 300 million dollars, and reached 350 million dollars. Company officials set out to attain a 20% increase in the number of passengers, an increase from 1.9 million to 2.3 million people on regular flights in 2008.
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