SAO PAULO, May 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (NYSE: GOL; Bovespa: GOLL4), Brazil's low-cost airline, today released its preliminary traffic figures for April 2009.
Management's Comments Demand on GOL's route network increased for the second consecutive month, mainly due to three extended holidays in April -- Easter, Tiradentes Day and Labor Day (while Labor Day was officially May 1, the Friday holiday promoted travel on April 30). Given that only Tiradentes Day was celebrated in April 2008 (Easter and Labor Day did not occur in April last year), there is a slight variation in monthly air traffic seasonality. Historically, the second quarter experiences lower demand as it is the only quarter with no peak holiday periods.
Domestic Market In comparison with April 2008, domestic passenger traffic (RPK) fell by 14.8% and capacity (ASK) by 5.9%. The domestic occupancy rate (load factor) stood at 60%, versus 51% for the international market and 59% for the GOL system as a whole.
The Company maintained strict control over ASKs and continued with its previously announced revenue generation proposal, resulting in a net yield for April 2009 substantially higher than the R$19.43 recorded in 2Q08, yet slightly less than the R$23.27 registered in 2008 as a whole. It is worth noting that yield in April 2008 was slightly less than the 2Q08 figure.
International Market International ASKs in April fell by 46.3% year-over-year, mainly due to the Company's decision to cease intercontinental operations in 2008. When compared to March 2009, the 4.8% reduction in international ASKs reflected the recent repositioning of GOL's international route network to improve productivity.
The Company's international load factor fell 50.7% in April when compared to the previous year, due to the aforementioned adjustments to the international route network. International load factor increased 7.2 percentage points when compared to March 2009, reflecting the high number of extended holidays in April and, to a lesser extent, the Company's recent reduction in ASKs.
Investor Relations Leonardo Pereira - CFO and IRO
Rodrigo Alves - IR Manager
Tel.: (11) 2128-4700
E-mail:
Website: http://www.voegol.com.br/ri DATASOURCE: GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A.
CONTACT: Leonardo Pereira, CFO and IRO, or Rodrigo Alves, IR Manager, +011-55-11-2128-4700, , both of GOL Web site: http://www.voegol.com.br/ri
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