Air India's performance has improved in terms of passenger load factor and revenue yield per kilometre in June as compared to the corresponding month last year but the national carrier is facing an estimated loss of Rs 6,994 crore.
The airline has witnessed jump of 3.1% in passenger load factor (PLF) in June as compared to last year. The PLF this June was 72.4% as compared to last year's 69.3%.
The national carrier has registered an increase in yield per route per milometre (RPKM) from Rs 3.33 June last to Rs 3.53 this June and also its revenue has increased to Rs 917 crore from Rs 876 crore last June, a senior Air India official said.
Despite being hit by strike by the Air India pilots in May this year, the airline managed to get passengers onboard.
Air India carried 1.121 million passengers as compared to 1.080 million in June last, the official said, adding in April to June, the airline's average passenger revenue per day was Rs 30 to 31 crores.
"Due to the pilot's strike the revenue declined in May to an average of Rs 25 crore per day. But thereafter in June, Air India has registered average daily passenger revenue of Rs 30 to 32 crore per day with an average load factor of nearly 75% across the network," the official said.
Elaborating about the company's debt, he said as of now Air India has working capital loan of Rs 21,000 crore and long term loans of Rs 20,000 crore.
The national carrier has registered a loss of Rs 20,321 crore since 2007 which also includes depreciation and interest of Rs 13,009 crore.
This year, Air India expects a loss of Rs 6,994 crore against a loss of Rs 5552.44 last year.
The airline has registered cumulative losses of Rs 2,226.16 crore in 2007-08 and Rs 5,548.26 in 2008-09.
The Government had last year pumped in Rs 2,000 crore equity to bring the limping airline to good health and this year has proposed to give Rs 1,200 crore to the ailing national carrier.
