In its December 2020 traffic report published on Tuesday, the airline said that it accommodated nearly 400,000 SAS passengers last month. The number is 18 percent higher than the number of passengers in November. The airline’s load factor, a metric used in the aviation industry that refers to how much of the airline’s passenger carrying capacity is used, is also up by 8 percentage units (p.u.) compared to November. The airline said that the increase in passengers and load factor in December is largely due to higher domestic travel demand during the holiday season. Traffic remains significantly lower compared to the previous year, though. SAS said that the number of air passengers dropped by 80 percent year over year. The load factor is also down by 38 p.u.
Increased demand for air travel in 2021
Still, SAS CEO Rickard Gustafson is optimistic that the availability of COVID-19 vaccines will help normalize the airline industry. The airline industry is one of the most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic as countries worldwide limit travel to curtail the virus’s spread. The start of COVID-19 vaccinations, however, offers hope for the beleaguered industry. As mass vaccinations started in some countries last month, airline executives expressed hope that there will be increased demand for air travel in 2021. Featured image via sasgroup.net
