bmi helps boost group traffic 12%
Lufthansa Group has reported higher demand resulting in a sharp year-on-year growth in passenger figures in July of 12.1%.
The Group, which owns Lufthansa, SWISS, bmi and Lufthansa Cargo, said last year's traffic had been affected by strike action.
But new traffic figures for British airline bmi, recently acquired by Lufthansa, greatly affected the Group's overall results when compared to lows last year.
Group capacity in available seat kilometres (ASK) also rose 5.7% year-on-year but would have been lower if not for the inclusion of bmi's figures for the first time, Lufthansa said.
Sales also improved by 6.2% in July compared to the year before. Without bmi's sales the Group's figures would have fallen 0.2% year-on-year.
Lufthansa said the affects of consolidation with bmi were greatest in Europe and to a lesser extend the Middle East and Africa.
Capacity on European routes in July grew 15.8% year-on-year but would have shown a decline of 0.8% without bmi.
Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, not including bmi, had seen a "particularly visible" increase in demand in July of 0.3% year-on-year, the Group said.
Despite a 0.2% decline in capacity, Lufthansa's main airline operations saw sales rise 0.8% year-on-year.
Lufthansa saw slight growth in demand both in Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions of 0.2% and 1% year-on-year respectively.
But demand on Lufthansa's transatlantic routes fell 2.1% year-on-year.
Only the Middle East saw load factor decline but this was accompanied by a significant expansion in capacity and demand of 31.5% and 22.9% year-on-year respectively.
Lufthansa Group bought bmi after its founder Sir Michael Bishop exercised a share option last October as part of a deal first struck in 1999.
Lufthansa agreed to increase its stake in bmi to 80% for a reported £350m. The remaining 20% is held by Scandinavian airline SAS which has said it also wishes to sell.
The deal came under threat after a £100m cash row errupted over demands made by Lufthansa that bmi's shareholders recapitalise the struggling airline.
www.lufthansa.com