Tag Archives: Stansted

Ryanair reports third quarter profits of $24.1 million

Ryanair (Dublin) announced third quarter profits of $24.1 million (€18 million), up $4 million (€3 million) on last year despite an $109 million (€81 million) increase in fuel costs. Revenues rose 15% to $1.3 billion (€969 million) as traffic grew 3% to 17.3 million passengers. Unit costs rose 11% mainly due to a 24% (€81 million) increase in fuel. Excluding fuel third quarter unit costs rose by 4%, while average fares improved by 8%.

Summary Q3 Results (IFRS) in Euro.

Q3 Results (IFRS) €	Dec 31, 2011	Dec 31, 2012	% Change
Passengers	16.7m	17.3m	+3%
Revenue	€844m	€969m	+15%
Profit after Tax	€14.9m	€18.1m	+21%
Basic EPS(euro cent)	1.02	1.25	+23%

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said:

“Our Q3 profit of €18m was ahead of expectations due to strong pre-Christmas bookings at higher yields. The 8% rise in avg. fares reflects our improved customer service, record punctuality and the successful roll out of our reserved seating service. Our fuel costs rose €81m, (+24%), slightly less than expected as oil prices increased 22% (from $84pbl) to $102pbl. Excluding fuel, Q3 unit costs rose 4% due to excessive increases in Italian ATC costs, Spanish airport charges, and the strength of Sterling to the Euro. Ancillary revenue performed strongly and rose 24% to approx. €13 per pax.

New Routes and Bases.

Our new routes and bases are performing well in their first winter, although some smaller bases such as Budapest and Warsaw are doing so at very low prices. Our 51st base Maastricht opened in December, and we will open 6 new bases (total 57) from April in Eindhoven, Krakow, Zadar (Croatia), Chania (Greece), Marrakesh and Fez (Morocco). Significant capacity cuts by Legacy and other struggling EU carriers continue to offer us substantial growth opportunities across Europe. We expect further capacity cuts and restructurings in Europe as high fare, loss making carriers struggle to compete with Ryanair’s expansion at low prices. During Q.3 Iberia, AFKLM, Air Berlin, and Lufthansa all announced major restructurings. Both LOT and SAS are seeking further state support while the Swiss charter airline “Hello” has closed. These trends will create more growth opportunities for Ryanair to grow profitably to 120m passengers over the next decade.

Customer Service.

Our industry leading customer service continues to improve as demonstrated by the following YTD milestones:-

· 93% of all Ryanair flights arrived on time (a new record).

· Lost bags have fallen to less than 1 per 3,000 pax.

· We cancel less than 4 flights in every 1,000.

No other EU airline can match Ryanair’s fares or this level of passenger service. The addition of reserved seating to our priority boarding service in 2012 has been very well received and a recent survey of Ryanair’s traffic in Spain (where Ryanair is the largest carrier) highlighted that 22% of our passengers were travelling on business. A survey of 10,000 passengers in December also yielded the following results:-

· 87% were satisfied or very satisfied with their Ryanair flight.

· 93% said they would fly Ryanair again.

· 95% said Ryanair provide excellent value for money.

Ryanair Strengths.

Ryanair’s ex fuel passenger cost of €27 (ytd) is lower than any carrier in Europe. Our average fare of €50 is (by some distance) lower than any other EU carrier. Our tight cost management, at a time when competitor costs are rising faster, will enable Ryanair to expand our price and cost leadership over all other EU airlines for the foreseeable future. The combination of Ryanair’s industry leading costs and customer service, strong cash flows and balance sheet, gives Ryanair a unique platform to deliver its next decade of growth as we target a 20% share of the EU short-haul market by growing to over 120m pax p.a.

Stansted Airport Sale

The sale of Stansted should be completed by the end of Spring. We welcome its purchase by MAG and look forward to working with them (as we do currently in Manchester, East Midlands, and Bournemouth) to grow Stansted’s low fare traffic back over 23m, where it was in 2007 before the BAA monopoly doubled Stansted’s fees. We also welcome the CAA’s announcement that is “minded to” rule that Stansted has market power, and will need effective regulation to protect Stansted users from exploitation by the airport monopoly particularly when “there is evidence to suggest that Stansted is pricing above the competitive level”.

Aer Lingus Update.

Under Irish Takeover Panel rules we are unable in these results to update on our offer to acquire Aer Lingus. Accordingly we are issuing a separate announcement on this matter today.

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said:

“Ryanair has submitted a radical and unprecedented remedies package to the EU in support of its offer for Aer Lingus. We believe these remedies address every current Ryanair\Aer Lingus crossover route and all other competition issues raised by the Commission in its Statement of Objections. The remedies involve two upfront buyers each basing aircraft in Ireland to takeover and operate a substantial part of Aer Lingus’ existing route network and short-haul business. This will be the first EU airline merger which will deliver structural divestitures and multiple upfront buyers. We look forward to completing our offer for Aer Lingus subject to receiving approval from the EU competition authorities in early March”.

Hedging & Balance Sheet.

We have recently extended our fuel hedges to 75% of FY 14 at $97pbl and hedges on our fuel exposures at $1.32. At current rates our FY14 fuel cost per passenger will rise by approx. 5%, compared to a 14% increase in FY13.

A 2^nd special dividend of €492m (€0.34 per share) was paid to shareholders in Q3, bringing to €1.53bn the funds returned by Ryanair to shareholders over the last five years. Ryanair’s balance sheet remains one of the strongest in the industry, with closing Q3 gross cash of €3.15bn. We expect the year end net cash to be positive despite directly owning over 70% of our fleet of 305 young Boeing 737-800s.

Outlook.

Our Q3 yields were boosted by stronger pre-Christmas bookings, while lower than expected operating costs delivered slightly better profits than forecast. However Q4 traffic (as previously guided) will drop by approx.400,000 passengers (-3%)below last year’s Q4, due to our grounding up to 80 aircraft which limits the impact of high oil prices, high airport fees at Stansted and Dublin, and seasonally weaker Q4 demand. On the basis of this improved Q3 result, our capacity cuts and limited visibility over Easter bookings and yields, (although we have seen some yield softness in January), we now expect our full year profits to exceed our previous guidance (of €490m to €520m) and rise close to €540m, a 7% increase on last year’s profits despite a 19% increase in our oil costs.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best. Boeing 737-8AS EI-CSA (msn 29916) arrivs at the London (Stansted) hub with promotional Scotland stickers.

Ryanair:

Ryanair announces its first new bases out of the European Union

Ryanair (Dublin) today (January 16) announced it will open two new bases in Morocco in 2013, at Fez (Number 56) and Marrakech (Number 57) with a total of three based-aircraft, as Ryanair invests over $210 million in Morocco. Ryanair also announced two new Moroccan airports, at Essaouira and Rabat as it grows its operations in Morocco in 2013 to 60 routes and 8 airports, which will deliver up to 2.5 million passenger per year and support 2,500* “on-site” jobs in Morocco.

Ryanair will grow in Morocco in 2013 as follows:

Fez (new base):

· 1 based aircraft

15 routes
4 new routes: Lille, Nantes, Nimes and St. Etienne
600,000 passengers per year
600* “on site” jobs

Marrakech (new base):

· 2 based aircraft

22 routes
7 new routes: Baden, Bergerac, Cuneo (Italy), Dole (France), Munich, Paris (Vatry) and Tours
1 million passengers per year
1,000* “on site” jobs

Essaouira (new airport):

· 2 routes: Brussels and Marseille

Rabat (new airport):

· 3 routes: Brussels, Paris and Marseille

Ryanair’s new Moroccan routes will begin in April.

* According to Ryanair, ACI research confirms up to 1,000 ‘on-site’ jobs are sustained at international airports for every 1 million passengers.

Ryanair:

Ryanair announces its 55th base at Chania, Greece

Ryanair (Dublin) has announced it will open its first Greek base and the 55^th base in total at Chania in April 2013 with one based aircraft. The ultra low-fare airline unveiled 11 new routes (26 in total), from Chania to Billund, Bremen, Bristol, Eindhoven, Katowice, Marseille, Memmingen, Thessaloniki, Venice, Vilnius and Warsaw. Ryanair is investing over $70 million at Chania.

Chania is the second largest city on the island of Crete and is also the capital of the Chania region. Chania is located the north coast of the island, about 90 miles west of Heraklion which gets most of the traffic to Crete.

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton. Boeing 737-8AS EI-DCL (msn 33806) painted in the Dreamliner promotional colors arrives at the London (Stansted) hub.

Ryanair:

Air Transport International (ATI) to retire the last McDonnell Douglas DC-8 in early 2013

ATI-Air Transport International (Little Rock and Toledo) is planning to retire its last McDonnell Douglas DC-8 from its operations in early 2013. Parent Air Transport Services Group is acquiring three Boeing 757-200 combi aircraft to replace the remaining four ATI DC-8s in early 2013 via Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM). ATSG issued this statement:

Air Transport Services Group, Inc. said its aircraft leasing subsidiary has reached agreement with National Air Cargo Group, Inc., for the purchase of three Boeing 757-200 aircraft that have been modified for combi (combined passenger and main-deck cargo) service.

ATSG said it anticipates that its subsidiary, Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM), will take delivery of one of the three 757 combi aircraft in December 2012, and the other two in early 2013.

Joe Hete, President and CEO of ATSG, said, “The purchase of these three 757 combis from National, plus the one 757 combi we already own, will complete our commitment to replace our four McDonnell-Douglas DC-8 combis with more modern fuel-efficient aircraft that better meet the requirements of our principal combi customer, the U.S. Military’s United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM). We look forward to providing USTRANSCOM with the improved operating performance and lower costs of the 757, as well as its greater passenger capacity. We are proud to be USTRANSCOM’s sole combi operator, serving primarily remote installations around the world that rely on the combi’s unique cargo and passenger transport capabilities.”

The 757 combis have a 34 percent lower fuel burn, ten more passenger seats and the same number of cargo pallet positions as the DC-8 combis they will replace. The combis will be owned by CAM and leased to and operated by ATSG’s airline subsidiary Air Transport International (ATI), under ATI’s contract with USTRANSCOM. Along with the three aircraft, CAM is also purchasing a spare 757-200 engine and some ancillary aircraft equipment from National.

As part of its fleet modernization program, prior to ATI’s latest combi contract award from USTRANSCOM that took effect in October 2012, CAM purchased a Boeing 757-200 for combi conversion. That aircraft is undergoing certification testing for the Federal Aviation Administration, and is due to complete that process and begin USTRANSCOM service early next year. All three of the National combis were designed and modified to meet or exceed the same FAA and USTRANSCOM requirements, including ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) certification essential for service to USTRANSCOM’s combi destinations.

Upon the retirements of the four DC-8 combis, ATSG’s fleet will consist entirely of 757-200, 767-200 and 767-300 aircraft, all of which require only two crew members, and which share a common pilot type rating.

ATSG noted that, as a result of its decision to acquire one of the 757 combis in 2012, it has adjusted its previously disclosed guidance for aircraft-related capital expenditures in 2012 and 2013 to approximately $170 million and $95 million, respectively.

ATSG, through its leasing and airline subsidiaries, is the world’s largest owner and operator of converted Boeing 767 freighter aircraft. Through its principal subsidiaries, including three airlines with separate and distinct U.S. FAA Part 121 Air Carrier certificates, ATSG provides aircraft leasing, air cargo lift, aircraft maintenance services and airport ground services. ATSG’s subsidiaries include ABX Air, Inc.; Airborne Global Solutions, Inc.; Air Transport International, Inc.; Cargo Aircraft Management, Inc.; Capital Cargo International Airlines, Inc.; and Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, Inc.

ATI Fleet Overview: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best. McDonnell Douglas DC-8-73 (F) N602AL (msn 45991) arrives at Stansted Airport north of London.

ATI-Air Transport International:

Ryanair continues its push for Aer Lingus by asking at least six airlines to fly from Ireland

Ryanair (Dublin) is making a new push to obtain a controlling interest in rival Aer Lingus (Dublin). According to this report by the Financial Times, Ryanair has approached at least six international airlines to consider starting long-range international service to and from Dublin to increase competition. If Ryanair is able to take control of Aer Lingus (so far Aer Lingus is fighting off this hostile attempt), Ryanair would need regulatory approval to complete the transaction which could lead to a possible future merger. Regulatory concerns would be concentrated around the lack of competition from DUB if Ryanair is successful, hence the new push for new competition.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

In other news, Ryanair is adding new service to Tenerife Norte from both Barcelona and Madrid starting on November 7, 2012.

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton. Boeing 737-8AS EI-DLK (msn 33592) approaches Ryanair’s largest hub at Stansted Airport near London.

Ryanair Slide Show:

Ryanair reports a fiscal first quarter net profit of $121 million

Ryanair (Dublin) reported a fiscal first quarter net profit of $121 million.

Here is the official statement from the airline:

“Ryanair, Europe’s only ultra-low cost airline today (Jul 30) announced that Q1 revenues increased 11% to €1,284m as traffic grew 6% and ave. fares rose 4%. Unit costs rose 10% mainly due to a 27% (€117m) increase in fuel costs which led to a €40m decline in Q1 profit-as previously guided-to €99m.

Summary Q1 Results (IFRS) in Euro.

Q1Results (IFRS) €	June 30, 2011	June 30, 2012	% Change
Passengers	21.3m	22.5m	+6%
Revenue	€1,155m	€1,284m	+11%
Adjusted Profit after Tax	€139m	€99m	-29%
Adjusted Basic EPS(euro cent)	9.35	6.86	-27%

Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, said:

“As we previously guided, significantly higher fuel costs caused Q1 profits to fall by €40m (from €139m last year’s) to €99m. Our 6% traffic growth combined with a 4% rise in ave. fares led to an 11% increase in Revenues. Ancillary sales grew by 15% to €286m (outpacing traffic growth) accounting for 22% of total revenues. Operating unit costs rose 10% as fuel increased 27% (by €117m) to €544m. Fuel amounted to 47% of total operating costs. We were hedged at $820 pt in Q1 last year compared to $1000 pt this year a price increase of 22%. As a result Q1 will suffer the largest fuel cost rise in FY13 as the pricing differential narrows significantly over the remaining three quarters of the year.

Q1 yield increases were dampened by the EU wide recession, austerity measures, and heavily discounted fares at our new base launches in Cyprus, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Provincial UK and Spain. Excluding fuel, Q1 unit costs rose by 3%, as we rigorously controlled costs, despite a 2% rise in flight crew pay, higher charges at certain airports, and the impact on costs of stronger Sterling against the Euro.

Despite this challenging environment Ryanair continues to grow its traffic across Europe while maintaining the lowest unit costs in the airline industry, and generating healthy profits as evidenced by the 8% after tax margin achieved in the first quarter.

Our new bases (Billund, Budapest, Manchester, Palma, Paphos and Wroclaw) are enjoying high load factors, although some smaller bases such as Budapest, Warsaw and Wroclaw are doing so at very low fares. We announced our 51st base in Maastricht (Holland), which opens in December, and we plan to announce more new routes and up to 2 new bases later this year. We continue to see significant opportunities to grow across Europe as many airports aggressively compete to attract Ryanair’s traffic growth.

On July 1 the Spanish government more than doubled airport taxes at AENA’s already high cost airports in Madrid and Barcelona, with smaller increases at other Spanish airports. These tax increases have already led to winter capacity cuts by Ryanair and many other airlines in Spain. These cuts will damage Spanish tourism and jobs in a country that already suffers up to 50% youth unemployment. It has been repeatedly proven that airport charges/tax increases lead to falling traffic, and the Spanish government must reverse these unjustified increases if they wish to grow Spain’s tourism and generate new jobs.

Ryanair welcomes the UK Court of Appeal’s decision last week to dismiss the BAA/Ferrovial latest (7th) appeal against the 2008 Competition Commission’s recommendation that Stansted be sold to promote competition and the consumer interest. We now call on the UK Competition Commission to expedite the sale of Stansted. While BAA Stansted traffic declines (by 3% in June and 7% for H1 2012), both Heathrow and Gatwick have grown. We believe Stansted’s traffic decline can be reversed under new ownership which will lead to competition, lower charges, and improved passenger service at Stansted.

We are 90% hedged for FY13 at approx. $1000 pt, up 21% on last year’s price. We have recently hedged 50% of our H1 FY14 requirement at $940 pt, however these lower fuel prices will be more than offset by lower euro to dollar exchange rates. High oil prices and Europe’s recession will drive further consolidation and more airline closures this winter. This will open more growth opportunities for Ryanair because we have the youngest, most fuel efficient fleet as well as the lowest fares and costs.

Our outlook remains cautious for the year. We expect full year traffic to grow 4% (7% in H1, and 1% in H2 due to winter capacity cuts). We expect positive yields will continue in Q2 and anticipate smaller fuel cost increases (due to higher Q2 comparable last year and fuel saving measures we have implemented). Currently, we have no visibility of next winter’s yields but expect that continuing austerity, EU recession, and lower yields at new bases will restrain fare growth. Until we get some H2 yield visibility our guidance for FY 13 remains unchanged, in the range of €400m to €440m as previously guided”.

Ryanair:

Norwegian posts a pre-tax profit of $20.4 million for the second quarter

Norwegian Air Shuttle (Oslo) financial performance improved in the second quarter, reporting its pre-tax profit increased 68 percent to $20.4 million in the second quarter.

Here is the complete report by the airline:

“Norwegian (NAS) reported a pre tax profit of 125 million NOK, an improvement of 50 million from last year. This year’s result has been considerably influenced by the strike among the security staff at airports throughout Norway. The strike cost Norwegian 70 million NOK.

The company’s growth continues and increased by 15 percent in the second quarter. The number of passengers increased by 430,000 (11 percent). The load factor was 76 percent, down 2 percentage points compared to previous year.

By phasing in new and bigger aircraft to the fleet, Norwegian’s operation will become more efficient and competitive. In the second quarter, the company has saved 38 million NOK thanks to its more fuel-efficient aircraft.

So far this year, Norwegian has taken delivery of eight brand new Boeing 737-800s, while five will be delivered from the Boeing factory in Seattle later this year. At the same time, the older 737-300s are being phased out. Following the summer, the average age of the fleet will be 4.9 years. Norwegian’s fleet renewal program enables the company to increase its production considerably, as the new aircraft have larger seat capacity.”

Norwegian:

Ryanair is forced to cancel over 300 flights in Spain yesterday

Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS EI-CSA (msn 29916) (Scotland) STN (Antony J. Best), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Ryanair (Dublin) cancelled over 300 flights to and from and also in Spain yesterday.

Read the announcement from Ryanair:

CLICK HERE

Air Southwest is sold to Eastern Airways, will retain its brand

Air Southwest (UK) Bombardier DHC-8-311 G-WOWD (msn 286) STN (Pedro Pics) (sold to Eastern Airways), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Air Southwest (UK) (Plymouth) has been sold to Eastern Airways (Humberside). However Eastern is pledging to retain the Air Southwest brand. The deal is expected to be closed next month.

Read the full article:

CLICK HERE

Aegean Airlines and Continental Airlines to code share

Aegean Airlines Airbus A320-232 SX-DVI (msn 3074) STN (Pedro Pics), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Aegean Airlines (Athens) and its Star Alliance partner Continental Airlines (Houston) today (August 23) announced plans to start code sharing on Continental’s flights between its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and Athens, as well as on selected flights operated by Aegean Airlines in Europe.

Effective August 23, 2010, Continental will place its “CO” code on selected Aegean Airlines-operated flights between Athens and six leading holiday destinations in Greece (Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, Chania) and between Athens and Larnaca, Cyprus. At a future date to be determined, Continental will also codeshare on Aegean flights between Athens and London/Heathrow, United Kingdom, and Munich and Frankfurt, Germany. Pending government approval, Continental will also codeshare on Aegean flights between Athens and Paris/Charles de Gaulle, France, and Rome/Fiumicino, Italy.

Also effective August 23, 2010, Aegean Airlines will place its “A3” code on Continental’s flights between New York/Newark and Athens. Pending government approval, Aegean will also codeshare on Continental flights from New York/Newark to Paris/Charles de Gaulle and to Rome/Fiumicino.

On the financial side, Aegean reported a first half loss of $42 million.