THY passenger numbers up this year

Turkish Airlines (THY) passenger numbers showed an increase in the first nine months of 2009 year-on-year, the company announced yesterday. In a statement to the Istanbul Stock Exchange's (IMKB) Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), THY said it had carried 10.1 percent more passengers, rising from 16.9 million in the first nine months of 2008 to 18.6 million through this September. International business class passengers were also up 3.3 percent, along with a 43.9 percent rise in international transit passengers year-on-year, THY said. Passenger occupancy rates, on the other hand, fell 4 points to 70.9 percent in the first nine months of 2009. Landing numbers also rose by 11.4 percent in 2009, rising to 158,000 in the first three quarters over 141,000 in the same period of 2008. Metric tons of cargo – mail air freight loaded onto THY planes – grew from 149,000 tons in January-September 2008 to 162,000 tons in the same period of 2009.