British Airways said today April passenger traffic rose 0.1 per cent year on year after a recovery in first- and business-class travel offset a decline in economy class travel.
BA, Europe's second-largest airline, said in a statement its April load factor fell 0.8 point to 74.7 per cent.
BA, which reports annual results next week, said market conditions remained unchanged.
The airline's traffic, measured in terms of revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), did not have the benefit of extra passengers travelling during the busy Easter break, which fell in March this year but in April last year.
Non-premium traffic fell 2 per cent in the month, while premium, or first and business class traffic - rose 13.3 per cent.
A recovery in lucrative first and business class travel has buoyed BA's performance in recent months, though pressure remains on fares and fuel prices amid tough competition.
BA is forecasting 3 to 4 per cent revenue growth in 2005/06.