ARMAVIA CJSC INCREASES THE VOLUME OF PASSENGER OPERATIONS BY 24.7% IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2007

arminfo
2007-08-29 16:38:00

The Armenian national air carrier, Armavia CJSC, increased the volume
of passenger operations by 24.7% to 227 thsd passengers in the first
half of 2007 as against 182.1 thsd in the same period of 2006, the
company’s press service reported to ArmInfo on Wednesday.

According to the source, within the period under review Armavia
transported 1310 tons of cargo, this index is by 10% higher than in
the same period of 2006. The number of regular flights increased by
24.9% to 2741 in the first half of 2007.

The company also reported that the steady growth dynamics is
conditioned by introduction of the strategic development program
and by the correct policy implementation. In particular, in the
second quarter of 2007 the "Code Sharing" agreement on joint air
transportation and the "Intreline" agreement on passenger and
cargo transportation in accordance with the international norms
IATA/MITA were reached. To increase the sale of air tickets,
the company introduced Online-Ticketing (booking) system in March
2007. Measures were taken to introduce e-tickets. New corporate
agreements were concluded with clients, and this also increased
the sale of tickets. The company noted that Armavia adheres to a
flexible price policy and, in this connection, it changed the prices
of air tickets in all directions. A new classification of ticket
reservation was also introduced. In the first half year of 2007,
Armavia acquired a Boeing 737-300. At the moment Armavia has A-320 and
A-319 aircrafts. The company is planning to acquire another A-320, as
well as "Russian regional jet" planes. Taking into account the growing
demand, new flights Yerevan-Cologne-Yerevan and Yerevan- Lyon-Yerevan
were opened within the period under review. The program of a new flight
Yerevan-Los Angeles-Yerevan was worked out, and it is currently being
discussed with the US side. To contribute to development of tourism,
in the first half year of 2007, the number of charter flights was
increased to 38, as against 8 in 2006. The air staff of Armavia
participated in traditional training in Toulouse, Stockholm, UAE.

In 2007, the company also raised the level of flight operating safety
by stiffening the rules of safety and bringing them in line with
international norms. For instance, different penalties were imposed
on 12 passengers for violating the rules of flight safety. The company
fights against smoking and using alcohol drinks on board the planes.