KUALA LUMPUR: Capital A Bhd registered strong passenger traffic of 13.2 million for the first quarter (Q1) of the financial year 2023 (FY23) due to the increased operating aircraft and robust travel demand.
The increased operating aircraft and robust travel demand resulted in strong passenger traffic of 13.2 million, representing a 153 per cent and 11 per cent growth year-on-year (YoY) and quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), respectively.
The company operated 14.8 million seats, 71 per cent of Q1 2019 levels, with a load factor of 89 per cent, at par with pre-pandemic levels, Capital A said in a statement.
At 88 per cent, AirAsia Malaysia's quarterly load factor improved by one percentage point (ppt) from Q4 2022 and Q1 2019.
According to Capital A, the airline carried 2.3 million international passengers, a 17 per cent QoQ surge.
This was driven by the 19 per cent increase in international capacity boosted by the extended Lunar New Year holiday, where the Kuala Lumpur - Singapore route contributed more than 10 per cent of the total international passengers carried.
"Despite a slight drop of one per cent QoQ in the domestic capacity, passengers carried grew by 3 per cent leading to an impressive 92 per cent load factor, achieving close to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels," it said.
Starting from Q1 2023, Capital A is consolidating all four airlines under the group - AirAsia Malaysia, AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Indonesia and AirAsia Philippines.
At the end of the quarter, the consolidated airlines had activated 157 aircraft, of which 142 were operating, and 15 were spares.
The airlines said its digital businesses had ridden the wave of continued travel momentum, with airasia SuperApp recording 12.9 million average monthly active users in Q1 2023, while the number of transactions reached 5.98 million.
It said BigPay achieved 1.37 million carded users in 1Q2023, improved by 17 per cent YoY, and recorded almost 55,000 new carded users since the last quarter.
"Additionally, the launch of an exclusive 5 per cent discount on AirAsia flights bolstered ecosystem spending, which contributed to an increase in overall gross transaction value of 59 per cent YoY and 6 per cent QoQ," it said.
On the engineering segment, Capital A said Asia Digital Engineering (ADE) reported an increase in the number of lines and checks from three lines and eight checks in Q1 2022 to seven lines and 14 checks in Q1 2023.
Meanwhile, Teleport continues to grow its e-commerce delivery business in the logistics segment and has added dedicated freighter capacity to extend its mid-mile offering.
It said cargo segment performance is up by 39 per cent YoY and 15 per cent QoQ, having transported 35,723 tonnes in 1Q2023, owing to the return of AirAsia international passenger flights and increased contribution from global freight forwarders.
"We are excited to announce that our aviation group has made significant progress in the new year, with passengers and capacity exceeding 70 per cent recovery levels.
"Additionally, our digital and logistics businesses are reaping the rewards as travel takes off.
"Our focus remains on reactivating all of our 210 aircraft while providing a seamless travel experience to our guests," it added.