More passengers carried - Utilisation still on high level
Despite the weakening global economy and strike action by the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots` union, Lufthansa carried more passengers and maintained capacity utilisation at a high level in the first six months of the year. 
From January through June, the passenger count at the Group rose on the same term last year by 2.4 per cent to 23.1 million. Of that total, Lufthansa German Airlines flew 20.2 million passengers (plus 1.3 per cent) and its Lufthansa CityLine regional carrier three million (plus 10.5 per cent). The Group`s aircraft, with sales of capacity reaching about 72 per cent, were again well utilised. 

The world economic slowdown weakened the first-half performance at Lufthansa Cargo. The freight volume was down at the halfway stage by 5.3 per cent to 832,422 tonnes and sales by 2.8 per cent. Since the capacity increase of 5.8 per cent could not be sold in the marketplace, the cargo load factor fell by 5.5 per cent to 62 per cent.

Overall utilisation at the Lufthansa Group (passenger and freight business) dropped by 3.5 percentage points on the first six months in 2000 to 67.4 per cent. 

Lufthansa Group first-half results 2001 will be published on August 22, 2001 and will be available, simultaneously, on the Internet (www.lufthansa-financials.de) in German and English.

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