Tarom traffic up 26% in Q1, returning to 2008 level

State-held airline Tarom carried 415,000 passengers in the first three months of this year, 26% more than in the similar period of last year, and almost the same as the number of passengers recorded in 2008.

The rise comes a year after the carrier recorded steady declines in passenger traffic, amid a reduction in the number of clients travelling for business, as well as amid a migration of passengers to low-cost carriers.

“Ever since the beginning of this year, there has been a rising trend in the number of passengers, with each month of this year recording higher growth against the similar month of 2009,” said company representatives.

Tarom is the first airline on the Romanian market to release its passenger traffic data for the first quarter of this year. The growth rate reported by the airline is very high compared with those recorded on other markets. For instance, one of the most dynamic markets, the pharmaceutical one, rose by 10% in January, whilst the dairy industry went up by a mere 3% in the first three months of the year.