Tunisair announced last Friday it has recorded “a decline of 3.4 % in the total passenger traffic, to 3,217,902 travelers from January 1 to October 31, 2013, compared to 2012 and 0.4 % compared to 2010. This decrease is mainly due to the situation of the country which produces a significant reduction of European visitors.”
The national airline, however, noted in a statement, “a significant improvement in results in traffic during the month of October 2013, compared to 2012.” “The number of passengers carried (all activities) in October has increased by 5% to 343,057 passengers, compared to October 2012 and by 11.7 % compared to the same month in 2011, while remaining slightly down by 0.3 % compared with October 2010 ( 344,107 passengers). “This overall increase in the number of passengers was achieved despite a decline in charter activity in the same month – 29.3% compared to October 2012 and -71.4 % compared to 2010 ”
The main markets that showed improvement are France and Libya.
For the Libyan market, the positive development of the two lines of Tripoli and Benghazi resulted in an increase in offer through frequency multiplication.
As regards the French market, the favorable trend in passenger traffic on the destinations of Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse is explained by the shift in the Thanksgiving holiday compared to 2012, said Tunisair.
Broker “Mena Capital Partners” had described, last Thursday, as “rather worrying” the situation of TUNISAIR whose turnover estimated at 787.585 million dinars (MTD) decreased by 9 % during the third quarter of 2013. According to the same source, the company has a debt ratio of around 127%, posted a decline in revenues in 2013 and has a deficit expected to widen further at the end of this year.
The filling ratio of the company stood at 70.2% against 73.5% during the same period in 2012, despite a gradual recovery in the sector during the three summer months
