Bruce Barnard, Special Correspondent | Apr 10, 2012 10:23AM EDT
International Airlines Group, the merged British Airways-Iberia carrier, reported cargo traffic down 2.9 percent in March as an 11.2 percent decline at the Spanish airline outweighed a 0.9 percent drop with its bigger UK partner.
IAG’s cargo revenue rose, however, by 3.5 percent on a 2.2 percent increase in capacity that pushed up the load factor by one point to 73.7 percent.
BA’s cargo traffic grew 0.5 percent in the first quarter, while Iberia’s slumped by 11.2 percent, reflecting a pilots’ strike and a weak Spanish economy.
“Our Spanish operation continues to be impacted by the ongoing threat of industrial action … and further deterioration of Spanish macroeconomic prospects in the short term,” IAG said.
Iberia pilots have threatened to strike every Monday and Friday until July to protest the launch of a new cost carrier Iberia Express.
Contact Bruce Barnard at brucebarnard47@hotmail.com.