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Fly Play hf.: Massive improvement in revenues and passenger numbers accompanied by load factor increase
PLAY airlines revenues increased by 66% between years, from USD 33 million in Q1 in 2023 to USD 54 million in Q1 2024 despite capacity increase of 63%.
PLAY’s cash position was USD 17.1 million at the end of Q1. PLAY has since received USD 32 million following a share capital increase and will go into the summer season with a healthy cash position. Uplisting to Nasdaq Iceland Main Market is in process as planned.
PLAY carried 349 thousand passengers in Q1 2024, which is a 64% increase from Q1 2023.
The load factor increased at the same time, from 78.4% in Q1 2023 to 81.8% in Q1 2024.
Q1 was operationally successful with an on-time performance of 87.8%, which is a considerably better performance than with the airline’s main competitor.
Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) in Q1 were negative USD 20.4 million. EBIT was negatively impacted by inaccurate news coverage of seismic activities in the Reykjanes Peninsula.
Total revenue per available seat kilometer (TRASK) was 4.2 US cents, same as during Q1 2023.
Cost per available seat kilometer (CASK) was 5.9 US cents in Q1 2024, which is 8% less than in Q1 2023 mainly due to favorable trends in ETS prices impacting fuel expenses positively.
CASK ex-fuel is down 4.2% YoY and was 4.3 US cents.
Yield was USD 151 driven by strong ancillary revenue per passenger of USD 50.
Einar Örn Ólafsson, CEO
The Q1 2024 results were in line with our expectations. The results were heavily impacted by a drop in demand following the inaccurate global news coverage on seismic activity in the Reykjanes Peninsula in Q4 2023. We had reported that this would negatively affect our outcome and now the results are in.
Despite this, we saw positive signs in our operations and sales. Demand started picking up drastically in January 2024 and we had record sales days in Q1 which have resulted in a healthy forward booking status. Our total revenues increased 66% between years, from USD 33 million in Q1 2023 to USD 54 million in Q1 2024. This is a true sign of how our airline is becoming more known and gaining market share.
The motto at PLAY airlines is to keep costs low so we can continue to offer competitive airfares. In Q1 we saw our CASK decreasing 8% compared to Q1 2023 and the CASK ex-fuel also trended in the right direction for us. Our team remains focused on keeping our business lean.
Operationally Q1 can be very challenging in Iceland due to weather conditions. Still, we saw an exceptional on-time performance of 87.8%, which is above our target of 85% on-time performance for the full year. This is something to be proud of and I am grateful for the tremendous job my colleagues at PLAY have done to deliver these results.
In Q1, PLAY received subscription commitments from existing shareholders and other investors which amounted to USD 32 million. PLAY is therefore in a strong financial position to achieve its goals.
The truly vital summer season is ahead of us, and I am looking forward to working with my colleagues at PLAY to deliver exceptional service to our passengers.
Operating statistics |
| Q1 2024 | Q1 2023 | Change |
Number of flights | no. | 2,317 | 1,455 | 862 |
Number of operating destinations | no. | 29 | 18 | 11 |
Number of aircraft in operation | no. | 10 | 8 | 2 |
Percentage of arrivals on time (OTP) | % | 88% | 86% | 2 ppt |
Number of passengers | 000s | 349 | 212 | 64% |
Available seat kilometers (ASK) | mill | 1,280 | 785 | 63% |
Revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) | mill | 1,046 | 615 | 70% |
Stage length (km) | no. | 2,994 | 2,887 | 4% |
Load factor | % | 82% | 78% | 3 ppt |
Seats available | 000s | 426 | 270 | 58% |
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Income statement |
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Operating revenue | USD mill | 54.4 | 32.7 | 21.7 |
Operating expenses | USD mill | 59.4 | 39.7 | 19.7 |
EBIT | USD mill | -20.4 | -17.3 | -3.1 |
EBIT margin | % | -38% | -53% | 15 ppt |
Net operating results | USD mill | -21.7 | -17.8 | -3.9 |
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Balance sheet |
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Cash and cash equivalents (incl. restricted) | USD mill | 17.2 | 37.6 | -20.4 |
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Share information |
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Share price at period-end | Per share | 4.6 | 11.5 | -6.9 |
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Key statistics |
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Airfare per passenger | USD | 101 | 109 | -7% |
Ancillary per passenger | USD | 50 | 41 | 22% |
Yield per passenger | USD | 151 | 150 | 1% |
TRASK | US cents | 4.2 | 4.2 | 0% |
CASK (incl. Fuel & emissions) | US cents | 5.9 | 6.4 | -8% |
CASK (excl. Fuel & emissions) | US cents | 4.3 | 4.5 | -4% |
CO₂ per RPK (grams CO₂ per RPK) | no. | 62 | 64 | -3% |
CO₂ emissions in tons from jet fuel | no. | 64,710 | 39,811 | 63% |
World-class on-time performance and new destinations
PLAY airlines carried 349 thousand passengers in Q1 2024, compared to 212 thousand in Q1 2023, which is a 64% increase between years. This increase is notable because PLAY´s load factor increased significantly between years, from 78.4% in Q1 2023 to 81.8% in Q1 2024.
Of all the passengers flying with PLAY in Q1 2024, 27% were traveling from Iceland, 36% were going to Iceland and 37% were connecting passengers (VIA).
Q1 was operationally successful. PLAY had an 87.8% on-time performance in the quarter, which is beyond the airline’s full-year target of 85%.
PLAY launched ticket sales to five new destinations in its route network in Q1. PLAY will be starting scheduled flights to Madeira, Marrakech, Vilnius and Split in 2024 and will do a six-week schedule to Cardiff in the fall. Additionally, PLAY will operate one flight to the winter wonderland of Rovaniemi in Finland in December.
Financials
Total revenue for Q1 is USD 54 million, compared to USD 33 million last year, up 66% between years at the same time as ASK increased 63%. Ancillary revenue increased 126% compared to Q1 2023.
Cost per available seat kilometer (CASK) decreased by nearly 8%, from 6.4 in Q1 2023 to 5.9 in Q1 2024. Cost per available seat kilometer excluding fuel (CASK EX-FUEL) was 4.3 in Q1 2024 compared to 4.5 in Q1 2023.
Total revenue per available seat kilometer (TRASK) was 4.2 in Q1 2024, compared to 4.2 in Q1 in 2023.
Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) was negative USD 20.4 million in Q1 2024, compared to negative USD 17.3 million in Q1 2023. The EBIT loss in Q1 2024 was in line with PLAY´s forecast and was heavily affected by inaccurate news coverage of seismic activity in the Reykjanes Peninsula in Q4 2023. EBIT margin improved by 15.4 percentage points year-on-year.
PLAY’s cash position was USD 17.1 million by the end of Q1 2024. Additionally, PLAY received USD 32 million in Q1 from a successful share capital increase.
Outlook
PLAY’s outlook for 2024 remains unchanged. The fleet will consist of 10 aircraft for the full year, ex-fuel CASK is expected to increase circa 3% annually. EBIT will be approximately zero for the full year and cash flow will improve year-on-year.
Further Information:
PLAY is continuously developing its disclosure strategy and will present a condensed version of the quarterly results.
CEO Einar Örn Ólafsson will present the company’s results on Wednesday, April 24, at 4:15 p.m. (GMT). The presentation will be streamed in English via webcast: https://www.flyplay.com/financial-reports-and-presentations.
Financial Calendar
Q2 2023 25 July 2024
Q3 2023 24 October 2024
Q4 2023 7 February 2025
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