SIA Group passenger traffic up 5.3% in October

[SINGAPORE] Passenger traffic for Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot rose 5.3 per cent year on year in October.

The increase outpaced a 3.7 per cent rise in passenger capacity, SIA Group said in its latest operating update on Monday (Nov 17).

Revenue passenger kilometres, which measure the demand for an airline’s service, came in at 13.6 billion for the month, compared with 12.9 billion in October 2024.

As a result, the group’s passenger load factor (PLF) rose 1.3 percentage points year on year, to 87.3 per cent.

SIA and Scoot posted PLFs of 86.8 per cent and 89 per cent, respectively, up from 86.1 per cent and 85.4 per cent a year earlier.

The two airlines carried about 3.6 million passengers in total in October, 8.3 per cent more than during the same period last year.

SIA’s total passengers rose 4.9 per cent to about 2.4 million passengers, while Scoot booked a 15.4 per cent increase to 1.2 million passengers.

SIA Group said that in the cargo space, “demand was softer across all route regions due to the impact of global trade tensions”.

Cargo carriage fell 4.6 per cent year on year, partly due to unplanned aircraft maintenance. Cargo loads declined 9.1 per cent, even as cargo capacity inched up 0.3 per cent.

SEE ALSO

SIA posts 82.1% drop in net profit to S$52 million for Q2; declares special dividend package

SIA shares fall 2% on net profit drop; analysts expect Air India losses to continue

SIA reiterates support for Air India despite drag on earnings

The group’s cargo load factor consequently fell 5.6 percentage points to 53.5 per cent.

As at end October, the group’s passenger network covers 130 destinations in 37 countries and territories. SIA serves 78 destinations, and Scoot serves 75, including services to Da Nang, Vietnam, and Kota Bharu, Malaysia, which were launched in October.

The group’s cargo network, meanwhile, comprises 134 destinations in 38 countries and territories.

SIA Group posted an 82.1 per cent year-on-year fall in net profit for the second quarter, largely due to losses in its associate Air India.

It declared a special dividend package of S$0.10 per share yearly over three financial years. SIA chief executive officer Goh Choon Phong also reiterated the group’s support for Air India at a post-results briefing on Nov 14.

Shares of SIA Group fell 0.5 per cent or S$0.03 to close at S$6.49 on Monday, before the news.