Another record month for PLAY - 83% increase in passenger numbers from last year, 87.2% load factor and 81.2% punctuality

 

PLAY carried 160,979 passengers in June, which is a new record in the airline‘s history. The number of passengers in June is nearly 25% higher compared to May when PLAY carried 128,894 passengers, which was also then an all-time high for the airline. The load factor for June was 87.2% and 81.2% of PLAY‘s flights arrived on time. Of all passengers flying with PLAY in June 2023, 29.8% were departing from Iceland, 25.8% were traveling to Iceland, and 44.5% were connecting passengers (VIA). A total of 604,670 passengers traveled with PLAY in the first six months of 2023, which is an increase of 154% from the same period in 2022 when 238,053 passengers traveled with PLAY. In the second quarter of 2023, 392,325 passengers traveled with PLAY, which is an increase of 117% from the same period in 2022 when 181,202 passengers traveled with PLAY.This record month of June is notable because PLAY began operating its fifth North American destination very late in the month, with its inaugural flight to Hamilton Airport in Toronto, Canada, on June 22. This new network addition is already experiencing very strong demand from both sides of the Atlantic. PLAY has added 20 new and relaunched destinations to its network in the last three months.   In June 2022, PLAY flew 87,932 passengers, which means June 2023 sees an 83% growth in passenger numbers from the same month last year. The June load factor also significantly improved since last year, from 79.2% in 2022 to 87.2% in 2023. 

In June, and for the coming months, the demand from the USA is very strong with average yields significantly higher than last year. In June, the North American destinations performed very well, with a load factor of over 90%. The outlook for PLAY continues to be very positive, with continued high demand and increased revenue in key markets.

Birgir Jonsson PLAY’s CEO:

“June was another record month for PLAY and marked the beginning of the summer vacation season in our key markets. We reached the milestone of receiving our tenth aircraft as well as successfully launching and relaunching 20 destinations in the run-up to summer. Our team has achieved the truly massive feat of successfully managing all this in addition to hiring and training around 200 new Players in the last few months. After a period of steep growth, we celebrated the second anniversary of our inaugural flight in June, as well as the fact that by having 10 aircraft in full operation we can now generate revenue in a healthy balance to our cost base, which has been difficult to do with fewer aircraft in the initial growth period during the last two years. The upcoming, and all-important, summer months continue to look very promising with very strong demand and increased yields and revenue in our key markets. The fact that PLAY was voted “The Best Low-Cost Carrier in Northern Europe” and came in tenth place on the list of the “Best Low-Cost Carriers in Europe” after only two years in the sky is a great acknowledgment of the fantastic job that all my teammates at PLAY are doing. I have no doubt that they will continue to do even greater things in the future.”

Tags: Birgir Jonsson, PLAY,  PLAY Airlines