Passenger jump at Sangster’s Int’l helps boost MBJ Airports’ profit
THE increased passenger levels at the MBJ Airports in Montego Bay contributed to its parent Abertis Airports posting euro12 million in operating profit for the quarter ending March up nine per cent year on year according to just-released financials.
The group specifically credited the local operations which manages Sangster International Airport for growing passenger traffic despite declines at its other airports over the period.
“Revenues at the airports business advanced 5.8 per cent to euro58 million, chiefly thanks to higher revenue per passenger up 4.8 per cent, the appreciation of sterling versus the euro up two per cent and the strong traffic performance at MBJ up 3.6 per cent,” stated the Spain-based Abertis Group in its financials about its airport’s division which has stakes in 30 airports in nine countries, with a worldwide traffic level that exceeds 80 million passengers annually.
Passenger levels at the Sangster International Airport are up 3.6 per cent during the first quarter at 959,962 passengers versus 927,143 in similar period of 2009 according to data released last month. Toronto remains the most popular route with a monthly average of more than 40,000 passengers arriving from the Canadian city during the first quarter. First quarter numbers were boosted by the addition of new services including JetBlue Airways which began a scheduled A320 Saturday-only service from Boston on January 9 and on February 8 started a daily scheduled A320 service to Orlando; Air Tran Airways began three new scheduled routes on February 11; Air Tran flies a daily B737 services to Atlanta and Baltimore and four times weekly services to Orlando; and Jamaica Air Shuttle began operating domestic flights between Tinson Pen and Montego Bay on December 7 with two 12-seater Beech 99 aircraft, offering three flights daily from Montego Bay.
Abertis Airports contributed six per cent of revenues and two percent of EBIDA earning for the Abertis Group based in Spain which earned euro119 million net profit up 5.0 per cent from the euro113 million earned in the similar period 2009.
