PLAY carried 187,960 passengers in August 2024, an increase of 1.8% and a record load factor of 91.6%.
OR PLAY the low-cost airline from Iceland, carried 187,960 passengers in August 2024, increasing 1.8% compared to August 2023, when it carried 184,926 passengers. The load factor for August 2024 stood at 91.6%, setting a record as the highest passenger load factor in a single month for PLAY. This represents a 2.7% increase over the 88.9% employment rate recorded in August last year.
PLAY serves 32 destinations in August 2024, of which 22 registered over 90% occupancy. In addition to the employment coordinator record, the company also achieved an excellent on-time performance of 91.5%, significantly higher than its main competitors. As a result, PLAY became the most regular airline operating flights from Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport for 13 consecutive months.
Among passengers traveling on PLAY in August, 25.9% departed from Iceland, 35.6% traveled to Iceland, while 38.5% were connecting passengers. PLAY continues to increase its domestic market share with 48,694 passengers departing from Iceland in August 2024. This represents a significant increase compared to August 2023 when 41,112 passengers traveled from Iceland, recording an increase of 18.4% in the local market.
New destinations and a positive impact on Icelandic society
In August, PLAY started selling tickets to two new destinations: Faro in Portugal and Aalborg in Denmark. Faro will be the fourth PLAY destination in Portugal, while Aalborg will be the third in Denmark. In addition, the airline announced an increase in weekly routes to Lithuania, increasing from one to two flights per week starting in 2025.
PLAY was recently recognized as the airline with the most positive impact on Icelandic society according to a survey of 15,000 Icelanders by the Icelandic company Prósent. PLAY amassed an impressive score of 73, ranking first among Icelandic airlines and ranking seventh overall among all carriers in Iceland.
Statement Einar Orn OlafssonCEO of PLAY Airlines:
“The record occupancy we set this month is something we at PLAY are extremely proud of. This proves that our services resonate in our markets and that demand has grown significantly. This achievement is particularly notable as August can be a difficult month for sales due to the return to everyday life after the summer holidays. However, we were able to increase both the number of passengers and the load factor.
We are particularly pleased to see our passenger numbers to Iceland increase year on year, as well as a significant increase in passengers traveling from Iceland. This proves that the local market is satisfied with our services and our decision to offer a wide range of sunny destinations to Icelanders is paying off.
In addition, our operations team did a great job maintaining 91.5% punctuality, again making us the most consistent major airline operating from Keflavik International Airport. Looking ahead, we are excited to see our future bookings surpass last year’s and together with my team at PLAY, we look forward to the coming months.”
Regarding the Greek market, the interest of the Greeks in the destination Iceland is particularly high. PLAY will continue direct flights to and from Iceland until the end of October 2024, with the next season starting in April 2025.