Finnair: Svakere kabinfaktor i oktober

[MD90]

HELSINKI, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Finland's national carrier Finnair said on Wednesday passenger numbers rose in October versus the year-earlier period, driven by European routes, but capacity usage fell.

"All Finnair Group airlines altogether transported 706,500 passengers, which is 9.9 percent more than a year ago," Finnair said in a statement.

The greatest increase in passenger numbers came in Europe with a 22 percent jump year-on-year, followed by Asia at 13.1 percent. The figures fell on domestic routes and in North America, the effect of cutting flights to New York's JFK airport to 5 from 7 flights a week due to a seasonal fall in demand. The passenger load factor, a measure of capacity use, slipped 0.6 percentage points to 69.8 percent.

Like other airlines Finnair has this year been hit by high fuel prices as oil went above $50 a barrel, an all-time high, leading the airline to say in August it will make a full-year
loss, having previously forecast a profit.

Scandinavian rival SAS reported on Monday a 7.7 percent rise in passenger numbers for October but said competition and overcapacity in the industry led it to a cautious outlook on earnings.