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Aer Lingus’ load factor in October 2010 improved by 1.8 points on October 2009 to 76.4%. Long haul load factor was 71.1%, an increase of 1.0 points on October 2009, with capacity decreasing by 8.2%. Short haul load factor was 79.0%, an increase of 2.0 points on October 2009, with capacity decreasing by 1.2%.
Aer Lingus’ total passenger numbers in October 2010 were 908,000, up 0.7% on October 2009. Short haul passengers were 831,000, a 1.2% increase on October 2009, while long haul passengers were 77,000, a 4.9% decrease on last year.
Aer Lingus significantly reduced its long haul capacity at the end of 2009 and made a smaller reduction to short haul capacity earlier this year. These changes were made to achieve a better match between capacity and market demand in the core market of Ireland, and to remove loss-making routes. As a result, total October 2010 capacity was 3.7% lower than last year.
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